233 Kelvin
by Rydia Asuka
Summary: When a routine inspection to the Briggs supply lines goes wrong, it's a race against time and freezing temperatures as Ed tries to get the locals out of there alive...and Roy tries to get Ed out. Parental!Roy/Ed.
1. Inspection

_Alright, so here goes my first real attempt at writing FMA. Typically I spend a lot of time RPing a fandom before delving into writing it, but that was not that case with FMA. I was just never interested, I guess. Anyway, onto the important stuff._

_First off, this follows the manga's story (and, by extension, Brotherhood), however, it has been approximately (read: exactly) since the day the last chapter was released since I have read it, so some things might be a little fuzzy. (In other words, I read the manga as it was released monthly, and have not read it since. I have also not finished Brotherhood.) None of this should really hold much bearing anyway, because Ed's only thirteen at this point. The biggest issue is Drachma is cold, not hot. Yep._

_Secondly...this is my first time writing FMA, so **any and all feedback would be appreciated beyond all belief.** I really, really want to do the characters justice, so I cannot stress enough how much I love constructive critisism. If I'm going to improve, I need help. I need to know what's good, what's bad...and what's just plain ugly. I'm sure you'll probably notice that virtually nothing happens in this chapter, and that's mostly because I'm testing new ground. I would really like feedback before I dare go any further. _

_Thirdly...I have no idea how long this baby's gonna be, but I'm aiming for about 20, 000 words. Guess time will tell. I have a pretty epic plot in mind, though, so it might be longer. _

_Anyway, I'll shut up and get on with the show, now. XD; _

**Disclaimer: **FMA and all associated characters, settings, and concepts are property of Hiromu Arakawa and Square-Enix; no copy-write infringement is intended, no profit is being made.

**Warnings:** This chapter's pretty mild, with some mild language, compliments of Ed. I'm probably going to be cranking this up to M by the end of the story, though. Just a fair warning.

* * *

><p><strong>233 Kelvin<strong>

"_What the hell_?"

"You heard me just fine, Fullmetal. Now, go pack; we leave at o-seven-hundred hours."

"But Col-"

"No arguments, Fullmetal. You're dismissed."

"...bastard." With a barely contained huff, the blond teen whirled on his real leg and stalked out of the office, his automail leg thumping heavily on the tiles with every other step. Wincing a bit as the door slammed behind the boy, Colonel Roy Mustang slumped back in his chair, a tired sigh escaping his lips as one hand came up to run through his short, black hair.

"That boy is going to be the death of me, Lieutenant."

"With all due respect, Sir, I believe it is you who is going to be the death of him," replied the woman in question, a slight frown on her lips.

Roy quirked one eyebrow lightly at her accusation, onyx eyes flickering over to meet mahogany briefly. "What's with the accusation?" Because he knew full well that she was being completely serious—the woman was rarely anything _but_ at work. Or elsewhere, for that matter.

"Well, Sir, you announce to him with less than twenty-four hours' notice that you are going to be taking him north with you on a military inspection to the Briggs Mountains. That is asking an awful lot from a thirteen-year-old."

"He needs to learn that sometimes being in the military is not all about all about using the military's resources for his own gain." The dark-haired colonel sighed tiredly at that. "I want him to succeed in his goals as much as the next person, but he still has a job to do. It's just a routine inspection of the supply lines, anyway. It's not like I'm throwing him on the front lines."

"That may be, Colonel, but he is also an automailist." In response to his confused look, the blonde woman foraged onward—with a sigh, he noted. "Automail needs to be of a specific make for colder temperatures, Sir." At his startled expression, First Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye stepped closer to the desk, handing the man a document and three train tickets. "I have already contacted Miss Rockbell, and she said she will have something ready two days from now. You and Edward will be stopping in Resembool before heading north so that he can have that attached."

Sulking a bit, the dark-haired man glanced down at the document he had been given. "This is going to throw off my whole itinerary."

"Well, Sir, perhaps you should have thought of that before you spontaneously decided to bring the Elric brothers with you."

"...I wasn't that spontaneous," Roy denied after a moment. Really, Hawkeye had already managed to contact the teen's mechanic _and_ gotten them train tickets. So...that was something.

"Because I suspected this would happen, Sir. You have been complaining more than normal that Edward's been running too rampant."

That, Roy knew, was true. He _had_ been giving voice to his...discontent of the boy's methods more so than usual of late, but still. Having his own subordinate know what he was planning before he himself did was a tad unnerving, to say the least. And also a relief, in its own way, because it was devotion like that that had kept him alive in the past.

"Very well, Lieutenant," he agreed with a resigned sigh. Almost four extra days stuck with Edward on a train. That had to be a recipe for disaster.

* * *

><p>"Bastard!"<p>

"Why Fullmetal, I never knew you had such a _short_ temper in the morning."

"Who are you calling so small he can't even see the sunrise?"

Chuckling to himself in amusement, Roy did not miss the dark looks some of the car's other passengers were sending him, nor the resigned sigh from the younger Elric. This was going to be a long trip, right? So he might as well have some fun. He did not like causing a scene, certainly...but Edward had no qualms about doing so, so who was he to stop the boy?

...no telling Hawkeye about this.

"That hardly even makes sense, Ed." He smirked. "I was calling you too short for your own temper—and that's saying something."

"Yeah, well at least I'm not a pyromaniacal asshole with a god-complex! And I'm not even short, either!" exclaimed the teen, fury written all over his features as he jumped out of his seat. The large suit of armour that held his brother's soul only just managed to hold him back from socking his officer in the face.

Frowning as though thoughtful, Roy lightly pressed one hand to his forehead, shielding his eyes and pretending to glance around as he further baited the already-riled teen. "Could have fooled me...at least, that's probably what I would say if I could even _see_ you."

"Why you-!"

"Brother, please," Alphonse Elric's soft voice chided gently. "You're drawing attention."

With the realisation that their banter was upsetting the younger boy, Roy opted to back out, letting Alphonse deal with calming the now-silently fuming Edward down. Though not without one final shot.

"You really are too easy, Fullmetal."

"Yeah, well at least I'm not a womanising freak who's obsessed with himself and burning stuff!" So much for that plan.

"Pity that I have no idea to whom you're referring."

"I doubt that; you spend enough time obsessing over yourself! Since everything's about you, then clearly that statement was, too." That was delivered with the familiar, arrogant smirk that everyone who knew the young blond was so familiar with.

Roy was about to retort when one of the train's staff strode over to them, a slight frown on her lips as she gazed down at them. "I'm sorry, sir, but I'm going to have to ask that you settle your...son down, or else I am going to have to ask you to get off at the next stop. Some of the other customers have complained."

Flashing her the most winning smile he could muster, Roy motioned for Al to restrain his brother as he replied, "Of course. I apologise if we've caused you any trouble."

With a soft huff that clearly indicated to Roy that she was not interested—no wedding ring, though? So what...?—the woman nodded faintly before turning to leave. "Just keep him under control." With that, she was gone, off to tend to other customers, or something. Though, it seemed not without a final shot from Edward.

"I'm not that bastard's son!"

"Edward, please," the dark-haired officer finally muttered with a tired sigh. "Get some sleep, or something." Because really, he had not enjoyed the insinuation that he was old enough to have a kid—never mind a _teenager _—either, but he was not about to make a fuss about it.

...but really, he was barely fourteen years older than the kid! Nowhere near old enough to be the boy's father. Really. And he definitely did not look old enough to be. Twenty-seven did not look over thirty! He...was blowing this out of proportion, too.

"He's right, Brother. Why don't you take a nap?" Alphonse suggested gently, gazing down at the top of the vibrantly golden head.

"Yeah, yeah...wake me for lunch, Al?"

"Of course, Brother."

With the midget menace settled down at last, Roy found his gaze wandering out the window, his chin resting against his fisted hand, which was propped up on the armrest.

"Say, Colonel?"

"Hm? What is it, Alphonse?" he asked, mildly surprised by the younger brother's attempt at conversation.

"Why are you bringing my brother with you on this? I mean, I know he has to do what the military says, but...isn't it dangerous up there?"

"The Drachman boarder, you mean?" he asked, glancing at the suit of armour with a wry smirk. Shrugging, he continued, "I mean, it can be, but we're only checking one of the supply bases, and it's pretty isolated. Nothing's going to happen."

"Oh...okay. If you're sure. It'll probably be a good experience for Brother, too. And isn't there a lot of snow up there? We grew up so far south that it almost never snowed. I'd like to see snow again." Really, it was almost too easy to perk up a child. It almost made Roy long for such naïve innocence. After going to war...one could never be called innocent again. Though, perhaps that was not a good word for those two boys, either. They had seen hell, too, just a different kind.

"...I just wish I could feel it." That almost too low for Roy to even catch. In fact, the young colonel suspected he had not been meant to hear. Perhaps, then, Alphonse was less cheered up than he had seemed to be a moment before.

"You know, Al...you don't have to come with us. I'll be there to keep an eye on your brother for you, if you'd rather visit your friends for a little while. Ed's not going to get a lot of time to look into your situation on this journey, anyway. We can send for you as soon as we get back."

Alphonse Elric did not respond, yet Roy knew that the boy was seriously considering it. After all, it had to be hard on a boy as sensitive as he was to live Edward's fast-passed and violent life. The boy could probably use a break to just...be a kid for a bit. Edward was different; he had thrown childhood away the day he had signed the papers declaring himself a dog. That was no reason for both boys to suffer, though. Not all of the time. As invaluable as Alphonse was for controlling Edward, the boy deserved a break.

"Well, you can think about it." Once again, his words were met with silence.

* * *

><p>Roy was, simply put, annoyed. He could see maybe losing a hand or two, but this was ridiculous! Roy Mustang, the Flame-freaking-Alchemist, was getting his ass handed to him in poker by a <em>thirteen-year-old brat<em>!

What had happened to his renowned and infamous poker-face? Apparently, no amount of poker-face could save him when his hands just sucked. Except, his hands _didn't_ suck...at least, no more than they normally did; some good, some bad. Everything was pretty normal save one thing: Ed's hands were uncommonly good—nay, _amazing_. That, also taking in the fact that Al, seated across from him and next to Edward, sounded and looked as resigned as a suit of armour possibly could...

A snap of the fingers, a curse and a jolt back from Ed, a gasp from Al, and a pile of charred cards later, and Ed had no longer won. Funny, that.

"Sorry, Fullmetal. My fingers slipped."

"The hell they did!" the irate teen snapped back, glaring across the table to where Roy sat, smirking. "You did that on purpose!"

"The same way you pulled that ace out of your sleeve 'on purpose'?"

"...smug asshole."

"I call them as I see them, Ed." No need to mention that he had been an ace cheater at poker himself, at that age. Or that he still had a rather frequent tendency to do so. He was just above cheating when playing kids. Really.

"Brother, were you really...?"

"Oh, knock it off, Al," the blond teen replied, snorting and falling back in his seat with his arms folded across his chest.

"But Brother, cheating is wrong!" the suit of armour murmured, a mixture of sadness and annoyance lacing his tone.

"I said knock it off!" That was pure annoyance.

"Just promise me you won't cheat ever again!"

"Alright, alright, fine," the older brother responded, waving his metal hand in resignation. Though Al appeared to be satisfied with response, Roy suspected that this was not going to be the last time the poor boy was faced with his brother's cheating ways. Oh well, it was not his problem. Something else was, however, and he intended to get to the bottom of it.

"Edward, what's going on with you?" he asked at last, sweeping the ashes and pieces of card off of the table and putting the remainder of the deck away. The boy was irritable, sure, but not usually to this extent. He had been next thing to completely insufferable for the entirety of the trip thus far—when he was not sleeping, of course. Those moments, thankfully, were fairly plentiful, but they had been stuck on the train for over twelve hours already, and Ed had been awake for almost half of that time.

"The hell's wrong with you, Colonel Bastard?" came the retort, the sulking teen turning to glare out the window at the darkened landscape.

"Fine, Fullmetal. If that's how you want to be, see if I care." Honestly, he just tried to be nice for once, and this was the response he got? Well, see if he asked again.

Across from him, a hurried, whispered argument erupted between the two brothers before a sheepish Alphonse glanced across at the colonel.

"Sorry, Sir, he's just not looking forward to having to change his automail," the younger boy apologised.

Blinking faintly in confusion, the older man motioned for Alphonse to continue.

"Well, see, it really hurts him, a—"

"Al!"

"An—"

"_Al_! That bastard doesn't need to know anything!"

"And I gue—"

"_Alphonse_!"

"It's okay, Al. I think I get it." Roy smirked evilly. "He's scared of a little pain."

"Hah! You wish! I just don't see why we should have to bother Winry over this. It's stupid and all it's doing is wasting time that could be spent getting our bodies back." With a huff, Edward rolled his eyes.

"Performing your duties is hardly 'wasting time,' Fullmetal. You would do well to remember that. Or are you more concerned about 'bothering' your mechanic?" That with a knowing smirk that sent the blond teenager before him into a fury.

"Wh-_what_? What are you insinuating?"

"Don't play dumb, Ed. You know very well what I'm saying."

"Y-yeah, well, you're wrong!" Fullmetal snapped back, slumping back into the seat with a huff, tilting his face to stare out the window.

Was he hiding a blush? Oh yeah, he was. Still, Roy figured that it was high-time to back off before he wound up with an Edward who was too pissed off to be good for much of anything. Still, if the young alchemist's attitude did not improve soon, then it was going to turn out to be one very, very long trip. It almost had Roy wondering if he had made the correct choice in bringing the kid with him on this inspection. He stood by his point that the blond fireball had to perform his duties as well as focus on his own desires, but this was...shaping up to be one awful inspection.

Now, it was not that Roy did not want the boys to succeed, because he really and truly did...but the fact remained that someone in their lives had to put a foot down and rein them in when they went too far. After all, was that not part of the problem in the first place: the fact that they had no real, consistent adult figure around to tell them 'no!' sometimes? Because really, in the end, was that not a lot better for them then just letting them run amok, no matter how much it might seem to be helping them? If they could not mature into good adults, then what was the point of fixing themselves?

Well, that was what the decent, more philosophical part of Roy's mind was telling him, anyway. Perhaps the truth of it remained to be seen, but he...well, if he was totally honest with himself, he wanted to see the boys succeed, but in more ways than just fixing their bodies—or getting it back, in Al's case. He wanted to see them grow up into good people. He did not care if the wild and rebellious Edward hated him for it, because it had to be done.

Someone had to look out for those two boys.

* * *

><p>With the train due to arrive in Resembool late that evening, after they had already been stuck on board the thing for almost a full day, excluding transfers, Roy found himself growing increasingly restless. That, he was sure, was partially the fault of Edward, who seemed set on driving the poor colonel mad every waking moment. Blessedly, that was not all that often, but it was still enough to almost succeed in the task.<p>

At that moment, however, the teen was dozing against the wall, a thin trickle of drool escaping him. To Ed's left sat Al, the boy immersed in some alchemic text or another. Left to his own devices for the moment, Roy considered taking a nap himself when the dull hum of conversation from nearby hit his ears. Normally, the man would be content to ignore it, yet he could have sworn he heard something about a 'short brat'. Needless to say, that was enough to garner his attention.

"—young, but the kid's bratty enough, so maybe."

"Yeah, maybe. Though they don't look at all alike."

"Hahah, well...you know kids. Things did get pretty messed up during the Ishvalan War, too. So, you know. They probably aren't related, whatever the mother tells them both!" The followed by raucous laughter from all parties.

"Still, the kid's annoying and I wish he'd shut up. I mean, how many complaints have we had about him from other passengers? And they only got on last night!"

"Yeah, well, he still managed to keep them up half the night."

Roy huffed; that was a gross exaggeration. Sure, the teen had thrown a bit of a tantrum that night, but it had hardly lasted more than a few minutes. Really. There might have been another one later that night, too, but still! Half the night? Hardly!

"Whether the guy's his father or not, the kid's still a brat."

Okay, enough was enough. They could say all the crap they wanted about him, because none of it was true, anyway, so why should he care? Edward was _not_ his son, and he had not had any affairs with one Trisha Elric, nor had he even raised the boy. So, their points about him were utterly moot. He also did not really care about protecting the boys' mother's integrity, or Hohenheim's parenting—though perhaps it was a generous stretch to attach that word to van Hohenheim. No, what made him angry was that they were judging Ed without even knowing him. He was a good kid, if a tad temperamental at times.

With everything the boys had seen, Roy figured they were entitled to a few personality flaws. If all the older brother had against him was a bad temper and defensive streak, well...that was okay, in his book. They were both good kids, and nobody, especially someone who did not know them, had the right to doubt that!

Before he could stop himself, Roy was on his feet, striding two seats away to where the train personnel sat, gossiping about himself and his subordinate.

"Yeah, and what about that guy who's with them? Who the hell wea—"

"—excuse me," came Roy's easy interruption, an almost casual smile on his features. Anyone who knew him, however, would have known otherwise, because that expression was anything but easy-going. "But I couldn't help but overhear your conversation." Well, he could have, but whatever. That was so not the point.

"In the future, if you have an issue with one of my subordinates, I trust you will take it up with me, and not gossip about it amongst yourselves. That boy's been through enough, and he hardly needs to deal with your crap on top of it. So, any complaints can be directed directly at me in the future." Watching the workers' uncertainty, he folded his arms pointedly. "Are we in agreement?" Fullmetal was a handful, but he was also a good kid, and he had enough on his plate without taking crap from people like that. "We are? Good." With that, Roy turned and strode off, not caring if anyone else wanted to speak or not. He had said his piece, and he was not even entirely sure _why_, but what was done was done, and he was going to take a nap.

"Thank you, Colonel."

Glancing at the suit of armour, he sent the boy a quick nod as he settled back into his seat. Apparently, he was not the only one who had been listening. Well, whatever. Settling down into his seat, Roy leaned back and let his eyes drift closed.


	2. Home

_So, first off, I just wanna say thanks to everyone who took the time to review the last part. I'm feeling a lot more confident after the overwhelming positive response, guys, and you've motivated me to consider doing another piece after this one! You all rock. I especially feel that 99 deserves acknowledgement for taking the time to break everything down and tell me how the story was playing out. Thanks. _

_Well, that's about it for now. I hope you enjoy! Part three is more-or-less complete, so that should be up soon, too. It also has my favourite scene so far, so I'm looking forward to posting it._

* * *

><p>"Race ya!"<p>

"H-hey, Brother! Wait!"

Roy could not help but smile to himself as the two brothers raced off up the hill, neither apparently any worse for wear from the long train ride. Walking along behind them, he made his way toward a large, yellow house situated a short distance outside the main town. The last time he had seen that house, it had been almost three years earlier when he had journeyed here searching for the two brothers—who, admittedly, he had thought were a good deal older at the time. A lot had changed since then, but this village...well, it had not. The small town was still quiet, even more so for the late hour, and there was still an overwhelmingly peaceful feeling to the area.

Before the two had made it halfway to the house, a medium sized black-and-white dog came running out to greet them. He recognised it as the Rockbell's, and it seemed that the dog also remembered the brothers, for her tail was wagging frantically as she jumped on Edward, knocking the teen to the ground to lick his face.

"H-hey, cut it out, Den!" The teen's voice drifted down to Roy from the distance, the soft breeze carrying the words, though it also did not hurt that Fullmetal was rather fond of yelling.

As the young colonel continued walking calmly down the path, a young, blonde girl, who was easily taller than Edward, raced out of the house, dashing down the path to greet the brothers with an enthusiastic hug. Well, that was something else he recognised from before. Winry Rockbell was still as spunky as ever.

Watching the reunion between the three kids, Roy allowed himself a secretive smile. It was good to see Ed and Al acting like normal kids, if just for a few minutes. Not that the peace could last, of course. Or rather, it was not that Roy would _let_ it.

"Come now, Fullmetal, are you going to stand there all day coddling up to your mechanic, or are you going to grow a backbone and face up to your automail change?"

It was a flushing Edward who rounded on him, cheeks reddened with what was likely a combination of fury and embarrassment. Ironically, however, he was beaten to the punch by Winry herself.

"Yeah, Ed! C'mon! You _have_ to see what Granny and I did this time! We used pure silver on the plating for heat conductance, though we had to make it thinner than normal to lighten the load and lower the strain on your body."

"...did you say pure silver?" Even from his spot a short way away, Roy could see the blond boy's face blanch. "What is this going to cost me?"

"Hm...between the rush job, the refinement, and the nature of a the metal..." the girl paused to grin evilly, "a fortune. You're going to have to be careful, too, because silver's nowhere near as tough as the iron alloys I usually use."

"...great."

"Hey, I wanted to use beryllium..."

"Wh-what the hell, you machine junky! Are you trying to kill me?" Ed barked in response, eyes wide with horror.

"Hey, it's light and has good thermal conductance! It would have been perfect in not stunting your growth!"

"My growth is not stunted!" Ed denied vehemently. "You're all just freakishly tall! And height's not attractive on a girl, either!" Ed earned a wrench to the head for his observation.

"Now Ed, it's not polite to speak like that to your girlfriend," Roy scolded lightly, already turning to walk into the welcoming home.

"Wh-_what_? She is not my girlfriend!"

"Oh, and being my boyfriend would be so bad? You're horrible, Ed!" Another wrench to Fullmetal's head followed that statement, drawing a wince out of the colonel. He almost felt bad for the boy.

Almost.

As Winry stormed into the house, Edward huffed and darted after her. Those two never fought long. They got frustrated with one another a lot, from what Roy could tell, but it never lasted. Once the door had slammed behind Fullmetal, Roy glanced at the forgotten Elric with a light chuckle.

"Shall we?"

"Huh? Oh...yeah. I don't want to see Winry kill Brother." Yeah, that was a pretty justifiable fear in Roy's eyes right then. The blonde girl was _not_ easy with that wrench.

Entrance into the homely kitchen met them with an Edward who was thoroughly distracted sniffing around the table. Supper had already been laid out for them, so it seemed that nothing was going to done with the automail then and there. Well, that was fine by him, because they were not due to leave until late the following afternoon, anyway, so they had plenty of time. Besides, it would be good for the boys to be able to visit with their unrelated family for awhile.

Greeting Pinako Rockbell with a polite nod of the head, he asked, "Do you need a hand with anything?" He knew the woman's general distain for military, and so he vowed to be just a little more polite than normal. He was, after all, intruding on her house.

"No, you and the boys take a seat," she told him, hugging Al before moving on to Ed. "You'll be rooming with the boys; either of them can show you where. Feel free to freshen up before dinner."

Thanking her, Roy accepted the offer, leaving the small family to reunite while he set their bags down in the room Al had pointed him to. Washing up, he took his time changing before heading back out to the kitchen, hoping he had given the others time to catch up in peace.

Throughout dinner, the young colonel kept silent for the most part. He could not help feeling slightly out-of-place here—last time he had been he had not been the most welcome guest on the planet, after all—and so he just left the others to catch up, even offering to clean up after they had eaten. Following that, Roy opted to head to bed early, because tomorrow it would be back on the train for a long, long journey north.

* * *

><p>Pinako had everyone up early the next morning so that Ed would have time to adjust to the new limbs before they had to leave. With a degree of curiosity, Roy found himself watching the process of the limb removal and reattachment. He had never seen this done before, and it might not be a bad idea to know how it was done. Just in case.<p>

One thing that Roy had to admit to not being ready for was how much the connection clearly _hurt_ his subordinate. Sure, he had heard stories, but the way Ed had tensed up and paled so completely...well, he had seen the blond pretty badly hurt before, but he thought it safe to say that this was the worst of it. The way the colour drained out of his face, leaving Edward panting and sweating as he fought the pain was something Roy was not sure he ever wanted to see again. Because seeing anything get Fullmetal down was just not pleasant.

As Ed lay recovering, Roy looked up with a faint start when he heard Al clanking over to him. Meeting the eyes of the suit of armour, Roy set aside the newspaper he had been reading, picking up his cup of coffee instead.

"Was there something you needed, Alphonse?" he asked calmly, already suspecting the answer.

"Yes...well, actually...Colonel, I was thinking about what you said."

"...and?" Roy prodded gently when the boy did not continue immediately.

"Would you and Ed really be okay? If I stayed here, I mean. I miss Winry and Aunt Pinako." And he did not want to go up north where his armour's joints would be at constant risk of freezing, and the weight of the armour would sink into the snow, making movement hard... Roy could tell, even if the younger Elric left things unsaid.

"Of course, Al. I promise to take care of him in your place."

"Oh, thank you Colonel!" the youngster exclaimed happily, the suit of armour almost seeming to radiate cheer, if that were at all possible for a hunk of metal.

"Wait, what? Al, you're not coming with us?" Glancing over at the door, Roy was a little surprised to see the teenager standing in the door, sending his brother a confused look. He had really recovered quickly. "How come?"

"Well, Brother...I miss being home...a-and I don't really think the Briggs Mountains are a good place for me to go. B-besides, you'll have the colonel there to watch your back, and it's not for all that long! I'll meet you back in Central the day you get back, Brother."

Roy could clearly see the war going on behind Ed's stunning golden eyes, but decided to stay out of it, because this was an issue between the two brothers, and he had no business getting involved.

"Well, I mean...if you're sure, Al. I can't stop you from staying..."

"Oh, thank you Brother!" Really, that boy needed to stop being so grateful sometimes...except then he would not be Alphonse Elric, and that would be worse, wouldn't it? "I promise to be there as soon as you get home!" the boy assured, grabbing his brother in a tight hug.

Gasping a bit, Ed forced out a quick, "Yeah, yeah...now p-put me down...b-before you crush my lungs!"

"Oops! Sorry, Brother..."

Waving off the sheepish apology, Ed gasped for a moment before grinning. "Sparring match?"

Barely a second later, both boys were out the door, leaving Roy to read in peace...at least, with as much peace as could be expected with the two brothers smashing around outside, accompanied by blatant threats from a certain automail mechanic about 'not breaking her beautiful work, you damn freaks!'

"You really have been taking care of them for me."

Dammit, was he never going to be left to read in peace? With a barely suppressed sigh, the Flame Alchemist glanced up, meeting Pinako's eyes before nodding briefly.

"Of course. Whatever opinion you may have of me, I'm not completely heartless," he responded with a light smirk. She was not the only person who cared about those boys, after all, not that he would ever say that in as many words, and especially not to Ed. He would probably be lucky to get off as well as Tucker did were he to.

"I see." Something in her eyes told Roy that there was more to that statement than a simple acknowledgement of his words. No, she was saying that she _did_ see. She saw it in him, and in the brothers. She saw right through him to his unspoken admission. Well, let her; it was not like he was trying to hide it. He just was not saying it, either.

"Just make sure you keep taking care of them."

"Of course."

With those two words, the elderly woman appeared to remember that she had something to do that was not in the kitchen and strode out the door, finally leaving Roy to read in peace...for about thirty seconds.

"Dammit, Winry! Are you _trying_ to charge me out of house and home? This is way too expensive!" Ed fumed as he followed the blonde girl into the house, a small piece of paper clenched in his automail hand. It seemed that that was his bill, and someone was less than impressed. Not that Edward was ever 'impressed' by much.

"Yeah, well, you're the one who needed the rush job for cold-weather automail. Don't whine to me! All I did was the best I could."

"The best you could? For this price I should be wearing diamond-studded titanium!"

"Yeah, because that would help you get taller."

"What the—! I'm not short!"

"Right, Ed. And Den's a cat," replied Winry, a devilish look on her face as she paused to face Ed, not two feet from Roy's chair.

"Is she? I never noticed."

"You know, as much as I enjoy listening to you two bicker like an old married couple, some of us are trying to read," Roy interrupted then, not giving the girl a chance to retort. "So, if you don't mind..."

"Actually, we do mind. If you want to read so badly, go somewhere else," Ed snapped, folding his arms in a clear pout. Somehow, Roy sensed that the kid's argument was not at all about the cost of the automail, because Edward had never been picky about his pennies, so to speak, especially when it came to paying his mechanic. Nope, the kid was aiming this whole thing at Roy himself. "Besides, this whole thing's your fault!" Bingo.

"My fault?" Roy dared to question, keeping his tone carefully neutral.

"You're the one dragging me on this stupid-ass assignment, so you should pay."

"Right, Ed. Because doing your job is stupid," Winry retorted sharply. "As for who pays, I don't care, just so long as I get it."

"Just put it on your budget and stop whining, Fullmetal. You're giving me a headache." Yes, this was going to be one long trip if Ed kept flying off the handle over every little thing...or maybe not so little, he realised as his eyes alighted upon the bill in the teen's hand. That was...expensive automail. Oh well, it also was not his problem.

"Well this wouldn't be a problem if I wasn't getting dragged to the Briggs Mountains, now would it?" Ed hissed, his golden eyes narrowing as he glared at his commanding officer.

"And what problem would that be, Fullmetal? I already told you to put it on your budget. This is an official military inspection, and the military will cover what you need to perform it."

"Yeah, well—"

"Enough, Edward," Roy interrupted with a tired sigh. "You're beginning to sound like a child that has had its candy taken from it."

"Who are you calling so small he could be mistaken for a baby?"

"Settle down, Ed. You're making a scene and there's no reason for it. You're coming on this inspection whether you want to or not, so stop sulking. This would be a good time _not_ to act your age." Honestly, this was getting old. If Edward did not calm down soon...he was coming anyway, and that was that. If Fullmetal was stubborn and good at getting under people's skin, then so was Roy. Also, he had the 'authority' card to play. So hah, Ed. Roy would win in the end; he always did.

"You two should get moving before you miss your train."

Glancing up at the short, older woman standing in the doorway, Roy could not help a slight chuckle to himself. If that was not a 'subtle' order to get the hell out and leave her in peace, Roy did not know what was. Regardless, however, it was actually high time they got moving. They would need an early start if Fullmetal was going to be this stubborn and difficult the whole way to the station.

Much to Roy's immense relief, that did not happen. With the bank note done up and signed, the blond alchemist was willing to grab his bags and head out, Roy and the three kids walking down the station together. Oh, and Den, the dog bounding off ahead of them before whirling and racing back. In short: a typical dog.

The locals were more plentiful than they had been the night before, out and about at the early hour, and Roy found himself forced to stop several times so the boys could stop and talk to old friends. They had time, so he did not really mind. It was sort of interesting to watch Ed's and Al's interactions with these people from their past. The ones that had been left behind completely when the kids had set fire to their house and walked away, meaning never to return, to never turn back, until their task was done. Even now, two years later, they were holding to that course. Seeing these people, though, made Roy wonder, truth be told, how well he even knew the boys.

Perhaps, in some strange way, he thought of himself as the boys' guardian—and it was true, at least for Edward. He was his superior officer, after all, but this feeling went beyond that. Into what, he did not want to say, but, if he was totally honest with himself, it was definitely _there_—yet he did not know much about their lives before...well, before that day. He remembered a young boy sitting in a wheelchair, and amber eyes looking dead, yet so full of fire at the same time. Yes, it was an oxymoron, but it was also _true_. All of this told him next to nothing about their lives before that day, though. Now, half-listening as one of the locals made a joke about Ed falling into the river once, because he had been dead-set on being able to run across the guardrail on the bridge, forcing the girl—Millie's—father to save him, it all made him realise how _little_ he really knew about them. He knew their personalities now, and what set Ed off, what made the boy happy, how to cheer Al up—the simple stuff. Yet he knew nothing of them before hell had run over them.

It was a sobering thought.

"Hey, Colonel Lazy-Ass, you coming or shall we bury you there?" Ed's voice grumbled, snapping him out of his thought long enough for him to notice the three kids a good twenty or so paces in front of him.

"Brother!" came Al's tired retort. "Don't speak to the Colonel like that."

"Why not? It's his own damn fault for falling behind. Don't blame me if he gets lost."

With an almost...affectionate smirk, Roy strode off, catching up to them and falling into step with his subordinate.

"I was just giving you a head start, Fullmetal. You know, so I don't have to shorten my strides so you can keep up. What with your chronically short legs and all, I thought you'd be more appreciative."

"Why you—!"

If Roy had had just a tad less dignity, he might have run the rest of the way to the station.


	3. Strife

_Just want to say thank you for all of the wonderful feedback once more. The next chapter is probably going to be a bit later (though it's over half done already) because I have an exam tomorrow and another Friday. We'll see, though. Maybe I can crank something out. _

_Anyway, enjoy!_

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><p>"What the hell do you mean the train's delayed?"<p>

"Can it, Ed. Let me deal with this," Roy muttered with a tired huff. They had bid farewell to Den, Alphonse, and Winry outside, the latter having had to rush back to the shop to get back to work, and the others walking back with her. Their train had been due to depart shortly, so after saying a quick goodbye, Roy and Ed had gone inside to head for the boarding dock. Once there, they had been intercepted and informed that, due to technical issues, the train was being delayed a minimum of an hour. Perfect.

"I'm sorry, sir," the attendant apologised, a definite lack of sincerity painting his tone. Not that Roy faulted him, because this sort thing had to be routine by now. "We're working to get it fixed as soon as possible."

With a polite nod, the colonel gently steered his fuming subordinate away from the dock and back inside.

"Damn incompetent idiots..."

Roy just ran a hand through his hair in resignation. He knew Edward was sour over the departure of his little brother, but still, the kid had to grow up. For a major, this sort of conduct was absolutely uncalled for, and not to mention downright inappropriate. Yet major or not...the kid was still a kid, Roy reminded himself, and so he needed to be willing to cut him a bit of slack. Just a bit.

"These things happen," he muttered with a sigh, plopping down onto one of the stiff, wooden chairs provided for customers. "So take a seat and grab a book, or something." As he was speaking, Roy suited his own words and took the newspaper he had been trying to read earlier out. Might as well use this time for something.

"I just wish we had known sooner. I could have...spent more time with Al."

"And Winry?" Roy asked with a light smirk. Despite his teasing, however, Roy strongly sensed that that was not at all what the teenager had been planning to say.

"Whatever," the kid muttered, clearly sick and tired of being teased.

With a weak smile, Roy closed the paper, setting it down as he addressed the other. "If there's something you want to do, Ed, there's still time." Good grief, but the town was small enough. He could probably lap it three times in an hour. "I promise I won't leave without you, since I know how much you'd miss me."

"Yeah, right. I'd miss you about as much as I miss a lost hangnail," the blond replied, rolling his eyes. "Anyway, there's nothing I need to do."

"Suit yourself," the colonel replied, reopening the paper and reading once more. From the corner of his eye, however, Roy kept a close watch on the kid, observing the utterly restless quality the boy had to him. Yeah, something was definitely up. If Ed had wanted to do something while they were in town...well, there had not been much time to do it. Between sleeping, eating, and the automail, the boy had not had a lick of free time.

"I'm going for a walk!" the boy exclaimed suddenly, jumping up.

"Just make sure she doesn't kill you when you give her that goodbye kiss."

The door slammed behind the boy with painful force.

Returning to his reading, Roy was _finally_ able to browse the newspaper in peace. Close to an hour had passed by the time he set it aside, leaving it on one of the room's small tables for someone else to read if they so wished. Standing, the Flame Alchemist stretched before making his way over to one of the station workers, politely inquiring as to when they would be leaving. At the news that it was going to be close to another hour at best, Roy sighed. Alright, well...he needed something to do.

After a glance at his and Ed's bags, tucked away beneath their seats, he glanced back at the worker, asking the man to keep an eye on their things, despite being more than confident that nothing would happen to them in such a small town. Small places meant more people were recognised, and that it was therefore easy to notice when someone was acting oddly. Still, it was better safe than sorry, and so he asked. With that taken care of, Roy slipped outside. It would not hurt to take a walk of his own. Perhaps he would also spot the kid, since the boy was starting to push it. The last thing he wanted was to miss that day's train because Edward was 'gone for a walk'—even though he clearly was not.

Heading out into the warmth of the south-eastern sun, Roy could not help but stretch in appreciation of Sol's warmth. The day was still and quiet, with no breeze to disturb the few leaves remaining on the trees. Even with how late it was in the year, Resembool was still pretty warm, which was nice when one thought about how cold Briggs was going to be. Yes, it was best to enjoy it while he could.

Making his way down the village's main street, Roy soon found himself climbing one of the hills that would take him back to the Rockbell's. With barely a moment's thought, he changed course, heading down a different road—though still uphill, he noted wryly. Was everything in this village uphill? It seemed to be that way, anyway, no matter how impossible that was.

It was not long before Roy found himself wandering into the one area he probably should not be walking into, yet the sight of a vibrantly red coat halted him. There, maybe a hundred yards ahead of him, stood Fullmetal. The teen's head was down, yellow bangs obscuring his face, as he stared at the inscription on the tombstone before him. At that moment, Roy's heart seemed to catch in his throat.

Now, Roy was often accused of being a heartless bastard by the very boy in question, yet he had never actually thought of _himself_ as such. Yet now...he had not even considered that maybe, just maybe, Ed would have like the chance to sneak off a visit his mother. The kid was tough and proud, and would never ask to come out here. Hell, he probably did not want anyone knowing he was here at all. Because of that fact, Roy should have foreseen this and planned to give the boy a chance to slip away. It was ironic, really. He could plan elaborate espionage missions, and strategise on the battlefield; pull off undercover missions without a thought and walk the knife's edge with the best of them in venomous battles of military strife. But this? Nope. It had not even crossed his mind. He cursed himself for it. Had the train not been delayed, the poor kid would not have gotten the chance at all.

Before his mind registered what was happening, Roy found himself over halfway to the boy. With a resigned exhale, the young officer covered the rest of the distance.

"You know, you don't have to grieve in secret, Fullmetal."

Under any other circumstances, Roy would have smirked openly at the way the teen jumped at his voice. As it was, however, the dark-haired man stayed silent, his own face calm and emotionless.

"Yeah, well, I didn't get the feeling you'd care very much," the blond muttered back, his tone tight and strained with pent-up emotion.

"Just because you call me heartless doesn't mean I actually am."

"You'll have to forgive me if I have some trouble believing that." That with the same clipped tone. As much as Roy did not want to admit it, hearing the overwhelming emotion in the boy's tone, emotion that he was so clearly trying to hide, really sent a knife through his heart. Edward was thirteen, he should be playing with his friends and little brother, going home every day to a loving mother and _father_, not...this. Anything but this.

Before he could help himself, the dark-haired man found his hand wandering over, landing firmly on a blond head and gently ruffling the hair there.

"Whatever you believe, that doesn't change the facts."

Ed grunted in reply, but surprisingly he made no effort to remove the hand. "Yeah, sure."

And with that, Roy thought it safe to say that he effectively had no idea what to do. He was hardly any sort of expert with children. Was he not the very man who had wrenched a child with a freshly missing arm and leg out of a wheelchair by his shirt? Not to mention that he had then yelled in his face.

That very child...was the same brat he was trying to cheer up right now. It was amazing, really, how the world worked. Not that Roy had ever been the philosophical sort, but it was almost hilarious, really, what a simple mistake in a report had gotten him. Edward Elric, thirty-one? Not likely. Yet that one mistake was what had drawn him to Resembool in the first place, and he could not say he regretted the trip.

"Why...does it always turn out this way?"

Blinking a bit in shock at the boy's hushed words, Roy could form no response to Ed's statement other than to stare down at the top of the kid's head.

"No matter how much I try to save people, they just end up dying. Mom was just...the first of many. I should have noticed, Colonel! I should have seen the signs! If she hadn't been working so hard to try and take care of Al and I, then maybe...maybe..."

The dark-haired colonel found himself rooted to the spot as the blond teen ranted, body tense with long-suppressed emotion. A moment after Ed's voice trailed off to nothing, however, Roy moved. Grabbing the other's shoulders, he turned the boy to face him, onyx eyes clashing heatedly with amber.

"Don't you _ever_ blame yourself for your mother's death, Ed. Under _no_ circumstances was it your fault."

"But—"

"_No_, Ed. You and Al were just kids, living life like normal kids do." Did the poor boy even know what that _was_ anymore? "Your mother wanted to take care of you, and having not done so would have just meant that she did not get to live out the last of her life doing what she loved to do: spending time with her kids. So don't you go and make your mother's choices out to be your fault, got that? You did nothing wrong."

Pausing, Roy scanned the boy's face for a moment, unnerved by the total lack of response his words were met with. "Listen, Ed...it wasn't your job to watch out for your mother, at least not like that. Kids should be...I don't know, playing with their friends and enjoying their youth. Not looking after their sick mothers—especially when they don't even know they're sick. That would have been more a job for yo—for doctors."

"You mean for my father." Now, the older man was used to hearing anger in his subordinate's words and voice. Edward did, after all, throw enough tantrums for a herd of bulls. What he was not used to was the cold, menacing note to the kid's tone. It was a tone not born of solely anger, but of pure, unbridled..._hatred_. Sure, he knew the boy had no fondness for his father, but this...went way beyond that. No boy should have to hate his own father. None. Edward and Alphonse deserved better than that.

"Yes, Ed," he continued after a moment, "for your father." Because there was no point in buttering up his words. That was a talent he had never really had in the first place, so why try starting now? "He was the one who should have been there." The kid only growled low in response, jerking free of Roy's grip to head back toward the town.

"Come on, we're gonna be late." Glancing around, Roy realised that the sun was already starting to paint the sky a dusky red as it went down over the small village.

"Hurry up before I leave you behind!" Well, at least Fullmetal was back to normal. It was true, though...Edward Elric only _acted_ strong. Underneath all of those layers was a vulnerable child in desperate need of adult guidance.

Before turning to leave, Roy glanced down at the tombstone for a moment. "You've got two good kids. I'll do everything I can to protect them for you." With that said, he turned to leave, only to pause as a reasonably strong breeze picked up, one of the first he had felt on the otherwise still day. Smiling to himself, Roy then headed down the hill.

* * *

><p>"Auuuugh, are we there <em>yet<em>?"

"No, Fullmetal, we are not. And no amount of complaining is going to change that."

"Yeah, but it sure as hell makes the trip worse for you."

Eyeing the teen's smirk, Roy sighed audibly. Three days he had been stuck on a train with this kid, and he was just about at his wit's end. Outside, snow blew around the speeding vehicle, signalling their presence in the northern province quite clearly, though the Briggs Mountains still loomed in the distance. Yes, they were getting closer...but still they were not close enough for the poor colonel's sanity.

After Edward had turned his back on the grave, the boy had gone straight back to being the handful he always was, as though nothing had happened—and, in retrospect, nothing really _had_. He had given the boy a lecture, nothing more, nothing less...right? He also stood by his earlier statement: Ed was not as strong as he pretended to be, but seeing him now? He was a damn good actor.

Good actor or not, three days stuck on a train with Fullmetal, with nearly a full day still to go, was entirely too much. The kid was a restless bundle of energy, and Roy had had to 'retrieve' him from other cars on more than one occasion. Damn, but it was obviously only his rank as colonel that was keeping them _on_ the train in the first place. Somehow, he got the feeling that Ed had planned it that way...

"Say, Colonel..."

"Hm?" Roy hummed lightly in response, not looking up from the murder mystery he had open in his lap.

"Your alchemy...it's not normal. Can you teach it to me?"

And it was only then, when he glanced up and saw that the kid_ had one of his ignition gloves_ and was staring intently at the circle, that Roy even realised he was missing one. Dammit! And he had thought he had known better than to let his guard down around the kid.

"No," he responded, snatching the glove back. "That technique is a secret—"

"—that's been passed down the Mustang line for generations?"

Glancing up, Roy met Ed's smirk with one of his own. "Something like that." Only not at all.

"Oh well, you can bet I'll figure it out." That devilish light that Roy was so familiar with was there, making the boy's golden orbs almost seem to glow in the fading light. "I'm a genius, you know."

"Oh, really? And here I thought you were just a brat."

"You wish."

"No, I know."

"Yeah, well, I can still kick your ass at alchemy."

Roy snorted. "Maybe someday when you grow up I'll take you up on that challenge. I'm not really into beating up kids, though."

"No, you just don't wanna get beaten by a kid." Amazingly, the kid looked totally confident that he could actually win. Well, Roy did not want to disappoint him—hah! Yeah, _right_—so that was going to have to wait.

"Whatever you say, Fullmetal."

"You're damn right whatever I say! Metal beats flame, anyway!"

"Really now. And that automail you're wearing wasn't heated and shaped by flames or anything."

"That's not the point!"

"Then care to inform me what the point _is_ so that I can get back to my reading?"

"This is!" And with that, the little brat snatched Roy's book, darting off down the train's aisle.

With a muffled curse, Roy stood and made to follow. Under normal circumstances, he might have just let the kid go. Only this was Fullmetal, and if he did that, he would never see the book again, and then he would damn well never know what happened! Would the detective find the serial killer in time to save his son from being murdered? He wanted to know the ending, dammit!

"Get back here, Fullmetal!" he snapped, striding firmly after boy, but refraining from breaking into a run. All pretences of dignity were dropped, however, when the menace shot outside, clearly intent on...climbing the damn train? Oh fuck no!

"Fullmetal, don't even think about it! You're going to get yourself killed!" he yelled, dashing to the door the kid had gone through. Sticking his head out, he watched with a mixture of horror and fascination as Ed began scaling the ladder with a skill that...made him look a bit like a monkey, to be honest. Fullmetal was agile, that was for sure. Stupid, though. _Really fucking stupid_.

Ignoring the whispers that were destroying the silence of the carriage behind him, Roy made to follow the kid, only to be pulled back by a hand on his shoulder.

"Are you alright, Pal? What's your kid up to?"

Glancing back at the other passenger, Roy noted, with a degree of resignation, that half of the car was on its feet and crowded in behind him.

"What's he doing?"

"Crazy kid's gonna break his neck!"

"Clearly never learned his lessons..."

"Being an idiot," Roy finally replied after a moment, hand finding the first rung of the ladder and pulling himself up.

And there was that cheeky grin, staring down at him from the top of the car. "Aw, don't be such a stick-in-the-mud, Colonel! The Lieutenant Colonel taught me all about train walking."

_Note to self: kill Hughes. _

"I swear Fullmetal, if you don't get your ass back down here right this minute, I'm cutting your research budget in half and stationing you in East City for a month!"

"Aw lighten up, Mustang. I'm just having a little fun!"

"Fun is not trying to get yourself killed!" Pulling himself up another rung, Roy was not at all prepared when a sudden blast of icy wind slammed into the train hard enough to rock it on its axels. Luckily, the dark-haired colonel had a grip on the ladder, allowing him to keep a hold on the train. Fullmetal was not so lucky.

With a sharp yelp, the teen was unseated from the top, his small form flailing as he toppled from his already-precarious perch. Without a second thought, Roy reached out to grab him, barely catching the boy's upper arm. Unfortunately for them both, all that served to do was unbalance Roy, and then they were falling.

With his free hand, Roy managed to catch one of the rungs of the ladder, leaving them both hanging in the worst possible position.

"F-Fullmetal!" Luckily, he did not have to say more than that. A clap of the hands and a blaze of blue light later, and they were both safely nestled in a newly transmuted cubby coming out of the side of the train.

It was only when he heard sighs of relief, and felt hands coming in to help them back into the train, that Roy even noticed that the other passengers were there, 'watching the show'—how typical of people. They always claimed to want to help, but what was it? Less than one in ten who actually _would_ actively try to help others out? At least without seeing others acting first—and only two of them had come over to actually help. Well, that was decent of them, at least.

Recognising the man who had stopped him earlier, Roy sent him a grateful smile as he made his way back inside. Their other helper appeared to be the guy's daughter, and he also flashed her a thankful smile, for once not a hint of flirtation in the gesture. He was just grateful this time, really. Besides, she looked like a minor.

"Fix that, Fullmetal," he ordered as an afterthought once they were safely back on the platform, barely paying attention as the kid snarled and clapped, returning the train to its original shape.

"We appreciate the help." Though Edward did not look any sort of appreciative.

"Don't mention it. I'm sure you would have done the same if it had been Luserina up there."

"Not that I'd ever be stupid enough to pull something like that."

"Lucy!"

Roy chuckled. "No, don't worry about it. This brat's about as dumb as they come." That earned him a glare from the kid.

"Yeah, way to thank _me_, Colonel Bastard," the kid shot at him instead. "Who saved your sorry ass again?"

"And who saved _yours_? Back to your seat, Fullmetal. _Now_." At the kid's sullen glare, Roy sent their helpers a thankful smile. "Sorry, but I need to have a little talk with my subordinate." That said, he forcefully planted his hand on the back of the teen's neck and marched him back to their seats.

Partway there, a crew member burst into the car, glancing at them frantically. "Is everyone okay? I heard that there was some sort of commotion in here, and came as fast as I could."

"Yes, we're all fine, thank you. I have it under control. Sorry for the disturbance," Roy apologised. Honestly, if he had to apologise _once more_ for this kid, he was going to shove him of the train himself!

"Well...alright. Just try to keep him under control in the future." Yeah, because it was no secret to anyone, even people not there, who had _caused_ the disturbance.

"Oh, don't worry. You won't be hearing another peep out of him." That with another glare at the boy, who just glared sullenly at the floor.

With a nod to the worker, Roy continued the short walk back to their seats, marching Fullmetal forcefully in front of him. Pushing the boy into the chair by his shoulders, he returned the glare he was being given full-force. "I swear, if you even _think_ about getting up for _any_ reason, I will alchemise your hands to the armrests, are we clear? Good! Now sit down and shut up...and give me back my book."

"...can't. Dropped it when I fell."

Damn brat! He had definitely done that on purpose!

"Hey, Colonel?"

"_What_?"

"I have to go to the bathroom."

"Well, I suggest you learn to hold it."

"Bastard."


	4. Fun in the Snow

_I apologise for any mistakes in this chapter. It's late, I've been up for almost a full day now, and I'm tired. I wanted to get this up for you guys, though. I hope you enjoy. See you in chapter five!Ironically, my internet died before I could post this last night. still holds, though, because I only have time to post it right now. No further editting is possible. _

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><p>The remainder of the trip was absolute torture for Edward, who knew full well that if he even <em>thought<em> about causing any further trouble that the colonel would make good on his threat and attach his hands to the armrests. The man was, after all, not really any good with children. Instead, he settled for taking out a book and reading. There really was nothing else he could do, save perhaps sleep. He did a good deal of both in the end, and the colonel did lay off after awhile, letting him get up to go to the bathroom—fucking _finally_!—and to get some food.

Still, Ed did so hate sitting still.

Eventually, though, the train whistle blew, and the brakes clanged down, bringing the train to a long, slow stop at the Southern Briggs Train Station—damn clever name, wasn't it? Hah.

As the huge vehicle halted, passengers began getting up, more than a few of them piling on layers.

"Bundle up and let's get moving, Fullmetal. We have a ways to go, yet." Yeah, because he couldn't figure out from the twenty feet of snow outside that he needed to keep warm! Thanks. Really. That was so helpful, Mustang.

Perhaps he was still a _little _bitter over the whole being forced to behave for so long thing.

Yanking on his coat with a sullen glare, the teen pulled his mittens on with the same expression. At a glare from the colonel, however, he found himself stuck taking the mittens off again so that he could add an extra layer of socks, and then it was back to the mittens. At long last, however, they were able to get off the damn train. About freaking time, too! He really, really needed to stretch his legs.

His first thought as he stood there, in the entrance to the carriage, was that it was way too cold. The icy wind slapped him in the face, burning his cheeks and making his eyes sting painfully. Oh yeah, this was going to be an amazing trip. Only it so was not. He was from the south, dammit! South-east, even! Near a damn dessert! They had almost never gotten snow, and it never, _ever_ got this cold. This was just plain unnatural. Not to mention the unnatural darkness that was prevailing over the late-October landscape. It was barely three in the afternoon, yet the sun was already most of the way down. He did not like it.

"Oh, cheer up, Ed. Look over there."

Ed was about to respond with some snippy remark or another when his eyes landed on what his officer was pointing to. Amber eyes widening, he could not help but grin a bit. There, just a few yards away, lay a real, honest-to-goodness dogsled team. The eight dogs were sprawled out in various positions of relaxation while a man, the teen assumed it was their owner, walked over and saluted.

"Colonel Mustang, I trust? The name's Sergeant Sherman Chaffee. I was told by Lieutenant Hawkeye t'wait for two. Is the Major comin' later?" the man asked, glancing behind Roy in a way they irked Edward to no end.

"No, you idiot! _I'm_ the Major!"

"But you're just a kid..."

Fuming, the blond glared at the offensive man, already brewing up ideas on how best to flay him alive. Before he could act on any of them, however, Roy stepped in, the asshole actually having the nerve to pull him back.

"Calm down, Fullmetal," he ordered in no uncertain terms. "Yes, I am Colonel Roy Mustang, and this is the Fullmetal Alchemist, Edward Elric."

The sceptical look on the jerk's face made Ed's automail positively _itch_ to wipe it off for him. Not that he would ever actually hit the guy, but thinking about it helped with the indignity of it all. Having his position doubted was up there with having his height mocked on the list of things he hated. Both of them were just positioned under milk. And shots.

"Well, if you have everythin' ya need, then shall we depart, Sirs?" Sure, he stopped acting sceptical when _Mustang_ said who he was! Talk about insulting.

"Yes, that would be fine. Fullmetal?"

Snapping his gaze up, the teen nodded, grabbing his bags and following the guy back toward the sled. It was at about that moment that Edward realised what was happening. With a childish grin, he glanced up at his officer, annoyance dissipating in a flash.

"Hey, Colonel? Are we _really_ travelling by dogsled?"

It was hard to miss the smile on Mustang's lips, no matter how he tried to hide it behind his collar, as he replied, "Do you see any _other_ forms of transportation out here?"

Well, that was enough for Ed. Breaking into a trot, he started to hurry toward the dogs, only to have a heavy hand on his shoulder stop him dead.

"Oh no ya don't. Those are trained workin' dogs, and not pets. You try playin' with 'em and you're liable t'get your hand bitten off."

"Oh, and they can bite through metal, can they?" he shot back, baring part of his right forearm. Despite that, however, he complied, slowing his strides to match the paces of Mustang and the bearded sergeant.

"Hm...Fullmetal? So that's what it means."

Oh for crap's sake! For the ten-thousandth time, _no that was not what it meant_! Good grief, but did nobody know anything? Roy was not called 'Flame' because he was made of fire! Tucker had not been called 'Sewing-Life' because he was a doll, or something! So why the hell should be called 'Fullmetal' because of his automail? He wasn't even entirely made of metal!

"Actually, it's because of my talent with manipulating metals," he shot back with a smirk. "I'm pretty good at it, too."

"So I've heard."

"Shut up, Colonel Bastard."

"I'd really rather not."

"Would a fist in your face help with that?" Edward pointedly held up his automail arm.

"No, but it might get you singed a bit."

The poor Sergeant just looked amazed and horrified by the two's bickering. There was no real menace behind the words—at least, none that Roy or Ed would read into—but outsiders probably would not know this argument from two people screaming at one another on a street corner.

"U-uh, Sirs? Can I ask you to please stop arguing? You're going to upset the dogs." It was then that Ed noticed that most of the pack was on its feet, watching them warily. One of the leaders, a huge dog with a motley coat of white and grey, even had its hackles raised slightly in warning.

Striding over to them, Chaffee began working to calm the animals, signalling to Roy and Ed as he did so. "Just put your things in the sled and I'll strap them down. You two wait back there and I'll get you settled, too."

For a moment, Ed noticed that Mustang appeared to be ready to comply, only to pause and glance at Ed discretely. The blond did not miss it, however. Mustang was not so great.

"Sergeant? Would you...mind introducing us to the team?"

"Oh, don't worry. They've already picked up your scents. They won't attack ya unless you try t'hurt 'em."

"Not like that, I mean...they have names, right?" It was pretty clear that the all-powerful Flame Alchemist did not give a damn about the dogs. No, he was doing this for Ed, and for that, the blond had to be a tad bit...touched. Mustang might like dogs, but he would probably much rather be somewhere warm and comfortable, rather than worrying about learning the animals' names. Oh well, for once Ed was not going to complain. He had never seen a real sled team before. He was pretty interested.

"Oh...sure." Walking to the lead dogs, he pointed to the one that had been growling at them a moment before. "That's Dapple. She's the lead female an' that," he pointed to the dog beside her, a rough-looking animal with a grey coat, slashed by a strip of reddish brown down his back, "is her mate Hopper. They're my lead dogs an' the parents of the others."

"Their parents?" Ed asked before he could stop himself.

"Aye. In the wild, wolves typically pack together with relatives, with the parents leadin'. Settin' it up this way best mimics that, an' it makes trainin' 'em t'work t'gether a lot easier." Well, that made sense.

"Alright, back here we have my point dogs, Smoke an' Wind." Wind was an almost solidly white dog with just a hint of grey and black streaked through his coat. Smoke, on the other hand, was a solid grey. Unsurprising, considering his name. "Next up are my swing dogs, Sparks an' Twilight." Sparks was white with faint hints of grey in her fur, mixed in with a healthy dose of reddish brown. Unlike any of the other dogs, however, Twilight was mostly black, with a white and grey underbelly. He did not really look related to the others.

"Is he...?" Ed had to ask, pointing to Twilight. He knew some things about genetics, and that dog just...

"Twi? Nah, he's actually a surrogate puppy Dapple adopted when she was nursin' these guys. Since I needed anoth'r dog, I figured I'd let 'im hang around."

Surrogate puppy? "I...didn't know dogs did that." Actually, looking at Twilight, he almost looked like Den. You know, with much longer fur...and bigger.

Chaffee shrugged. "Sometimes, yeah. I mean, people do it, right? So why can't dogs, y'know?" Well, that actually made a great deal of sense. It was also a little heart-wrenching, he noticed as Twilight leaned over, nipping Sparks gently in the side. Family...was a wonderful thing. Perhaps blood relation really wasn't necessary...argh! No tangents! He needed to focus!

"Back here are my wheel dogs. Next to the leaders, they're the most important members of the team. If the sled gets stuck anywhere, it's up to Burn'n' Wildfire here t'get it out." Burn was a big dog with a mostly-red coat, mixed in with a faint streak of greys, black, and white. He also, Ed noticed, did not look overly friendly. If a dog could look thus. Next to him sat Wildfire, her also heavily-red coat similar to her brother's. She was also bigger than the others, just like Burn. Well, since they needed to pull the dead weight of the sleigh, Edward figured it made sense that they would be the biggest dogs. Well, the biggest besides Dapple, but she was one of the leaders.

"Alright, that's the whole team. You two ready?"

"Yes, thank you," Mustang answered before Ed could even think to. Yep, the old bastard just wanted to get on the road.

"Alrighty." Leading them to the back, Chaffee pointed to the sleigh. "Ya can place your things up 'ere, behind the brushbow." Tapping the curved, handle-like protrusion on the front of the sled, the sergeant opened up the tarp that covered the cargo bed. "They'll be kept dry in here."

As Mustang set to work putting their bags in place, Ed eyed the sled critically. "So...where do we sit?"

"I'll be sitting in the cargo bed, Fullmetal. You, on the other hand, will be chasing the sled."

"Wh-what?" Oh, hells no!

"Relax, Fullmetal. I'm only joking."

Ed bristled. "Yeah, because I'm supposed to believe you _wouldn't_ actually make me chase the sled."

"Well, now that you mention it..."

"Jerk."

Poor Sergeant Chaffee clearly had no idea how to conduct himself when confronted with the famous Fullmetal versus Flame spats. "U-uh, you can both ride in the cargo bed. Colonel Mustang, Sir, if you'll just take a seat here, ya can lean back against the handle bars."

"Here?"

"Yes, that's fine. There's a pillow there that you can lean against. Now just stretch your legs out."

Edward did not like where this was going. There was no way in hell that there was going to be enough room for them both, unless...

"Major Elric? You can just sit in front of the Colonel." Oh _hell_ no!

"I'd rather walk, thanks," he snapped.

"With all due respect, I—"

"—very well, Fullmetal. We'll meet you there. Sergeant?"

"Uh..."

"Wait, you bastard!" He might not want to do this, but Mustang really _would_ leave him behind, and he did not fancy being stuck farther north than even North City while waiting for the ass to come back. Because small chance he would be getting home on his own from here.

As Ed climbed—reluctantly—into the sled bag, he did not spare his officer a glare.

"Look, Fullmetal, I don't want to do this either, but this is the only practical way to travel between the lines up here, so suck it up and get over it." Then Mustang dropped his tone to eliminate the risk of Chaffee overhearing. "And you could stand to be a little more polite. He's being taken well out of his way for this mission, too."

"Yeah, yeah. I get it," he muttered, sitting down and biting his own tongue as he forced himself to lean back against the royal pain in his rear. After a moment, he glared over at the poor sergeant.

"Hey, can't we just sit side-by-side, or something?"

"No can do. The sled's gotta be aerodynamic."

With a sigh, Ed sucked it up and settled down. Grabbing the blanket offered to them, he settled it over their legs.

"You two comferble?"

"We're as good as we can be, Sergeant."

"Alrighty," the bearded man replied, bending over to buckle the sled bag closed. "This'll keep ya dry an' warmer." With that, Chaffee moved ahead to shorten the dog's leashes, pulling them into position on the shanks. The gesture threw the dogs into a frenzy, the animals leaping in the harness and barking excitedly.

Edward could only watch in anticipation, his position of leaning back against a certain ass' chest practically forgotten, as he watched the dogs. They were clearly excited and more than a little revved to go. Hopper especially was jumping forward, living up to his name as he leapt forward against the confining harness. Dapple, however, was waiting patiently for the cue to start. Burn and Wildfire, too. The other four dogs, however, were bounding every bit as much as Hopper.

Twilight was standing up barking eagerly, leading an excited chorus of dogs. Burn joined in after a moment, leading Wildfire into that much, at least. Good thing they were not straining, though, because Ed had to wonder if the brakes would hold it those two threw their weight against them.

Yet still, Dapple sat quiet and patient through the whole thing, waiting on the cue to start. Well, Ed was definitely eager for them to start. He had...never done anything like this before. Riding cows at Millie's farm pretty much summed it up, in fact, that and riding in a horse-drawn carriage. So yeah, he was excited.

"You two ready?" the musher asked, walking back down the line and pausing beside his passengers for a moment.

"Yes, we're ready," Mustang replied.

"Yeah, so hurry up!"

"Fullmetal," came the warning hiss.

Ignoring Roy, the blond teen glanced back eagerly as Chaffee positioned his feet on the runners and grabbed the handle bar with one hand. "Whoa, Hopper! _Whoa_ boys! Settle! Settle boys! Hopper!"

After a painfully long moment of waiting for the animals to settle, Chaffee released the brake. "Hopper, Dapple, hike! _Hike_!"

Edward could safely say that even the cold was forgotten as the sled ripped away, the canines quickly finding their stride as they galloped over the snow. This was...amazing! Even the cold air stinging his eyes was barely acknowledged as he found himself trying to take in everything at once, his senses overwhelmed by the sheer sensation of gliding over the snow. The silence of the lower foothills was broken by the sound of the runners crunching over the ice and the dogs' heavy panting as they pulled the weight along behind them. He could so get used to this.

"Having fun, Fullmetal?"

For once, Ed had no real desire to respond with a snide comment. That was probably helped along by the fact that Mustang was not being a giant asshole in the question. In fact, the colonel genuinely seemed to care about the answer.

"Yeah, this is pretty awesome."

"How're you handling the cold?"

"I'm _fine_."

"Just thought I'd give you fair warning that it's only going to get worse from here. The further north we go, the colder it gets." Lovely. Still, once he had had a few minutes to get used to the cold, he was handling it okay, so he could...do colder. Really. The easy acclimation to the cold was definitely not because of the blankets...and Mustang behind him, either. He could so do colder.

"Yeah, well, we don't all have to be fire alchemists to keep warm."

"Ed."

"What?"

"I'm just trying to warn you. Keep bundled up, okay? My first time this far north I nearly ended up with hypothermia because I didn't. Believe me, it wasn't fun."

Edward sighed. Honestly, one second this guy was a total dick, and now he was actually being decent? Mixed signals much. Though, really, the asshole side of this guy was easier to deal with.

"Fine, fine. I'll dress like a yeti. Happy?"

"See that you do, or else I'll do it for you."

"Have I ever told you I hate you?"

"Maybe once or twice." He might not be able to see Roy's face, but he could sense the smirk there. It probably mirrored his own perfectly.

* * *

><p>Roy could tell that his subordinate was enjoying himself, and if he was totally honest? So was he. He had been to Briggs before, but never by dogsled, that was for sure. It was also good to see that the boy had settled down and was just acting like a kid for a bit—but not the bad sort of kid that he often was. Just...a kid, fascinated by life and all of its offerings.<p>

The boy was watching the darkened scenery zip past them with a childlike glee that he would probably be embarrassed about if he realised he was wearing it all over his face, a face that was in clear view whenever the boy turned his head to look around, which was often. Even in the dim lighting of the sled's lantern, Ed's excitement was clear. The image was enough to draw a soft, almost secretive, grin from Roy.

"I bet Al would have loved this." At the boy's sudden words, the dark-haired colonel could only shrug.

"Still, it is probably for the best that he didn't come."

"Yeah, yeah. Because he wouldn't have fit, right?"

"Well, we _could_ have used him for the sled," Roy baited.

"Colonel!" Ed replied, predictably indignant.

"Relax, Ed, I'm only joking."

"Joking about using my brother for a sled is not funny, jerk."

"You know I'd never really do it, Edward."

"Still..."

"You miss him?" Roy asked finally, dropping his tone from teasing to serious.

"Yeah. I mean, I'm not used to being away from him."

"He'll be fine, Ed."

"I know. He's tough. I bet Winry and Aunt Pinako are happy to have him home for a bit, too."

"Exactly, Fullmetal. Think about how selfish you've been, hogging him to yourself all this time."

Ed snorted. "In that case, aren't you being selfish for hogging me?"

"Hardly. I'd call it 'saintly,'" Roy gloated.

"And I'd call you delusional."

"How so? I'm saving everyone else from you, aren't I? I'd say I'm doing the country a favour."

"In that case, so am I."

"By heading away from civilisation? How thoughtful, Fullmetal."

"Ass. You know what I mean," the kid growled, though the words held no real bite to them.

"I'm afraid I don't. Care to elaborate?"

Ed's reply was cut off when a massive yawn cracked the boy's jaws. Oh yes, Ed's infamous sleeping tendencies. Of course the boy was tired already.

"Do you need me to put you down for your nap, Fullmetal?"

"Knock it off...what the hell time is it, anyway? It's too damn hard to tell; always so dark up here," the kid huffed.

"You know, the pocket watch actually _does_ function as a watch."

"Yeah, I'll just teleport it out here. Gimme a sec."

"Exactly, Fullmetal. I have no more access to mine than you do yours." Granted, they could probably both get them out...but it would require entirely too much digging through blankets and clothing to be any kind of practical.

"Yeah, but aren't you the person who's supposed to know everything?"

"My apologies. I thought that was you." Yes, bantering with this kid was pretty much the (only) highlight of this trip. And now that the kid was finally resigning himself to the inspection, it seemed that Ed was letting up on the genuine anger and falling more into a role of playful bickering.

"Very funny."

"I thought so."

Ed's reply was once again cut off by a yawn. Smiling fondly—_only_ because the boy could not see it—Roy gently prodded the boy's side beneath the tarp covering them. "Get some sleep. I'll wake you up when we get to camp."

For a moment, it seemed as though Ed would object, but then the blond nodded, settling down and closing his eyes.

"...just no funny business while I'm asleep."

"Of course. I'll be sure to draw all over your face."

"Bastard." The tone held no menace, however, and it was not long before the teen was asleep, leaving Roy alone with his thoughts.

"Colonel?"

Right. Can't forget about him.

"Yes, Sergeant?"

"We should be arriving in about an hour." Well, apparently he had been listening, but unwilling to interrupt his superiors. Though thinking of Edward as _anyone's_ superior was...weird. He was just a kid, no matter his rank.

Nodding, Roy replied, "Okay. I think I'm going to catch some sleep myself. Believe it or not, travelling with Fullmetal's not all that restful."

"Of course, Sir. I'll wake ya when we arrive."

"Very good, Chaffee."

Settling back, Roy let his eyes start to drift closed, warm despite the cold air stinging his cheeks. After a moment, he wiggled one arm free and pulled it higher up to protect his face more from the wind.

Before letting himself sleep, the Flame Alchemist glanced down at the mop of golden hair resting against his chest. It was an awkward situation for them both, to be sure, but at least Fullmetal was no longer whining about it. After all, it was highly unlikely that either of them was enjoying being in physical contact for an extended period of time, so they both just needed to suck it up, because this was going to be how things went for them for the next couple of weeks.

Regardless, now was as good a time as any to stop and get some sleep for a bit before they got to camp. So he did just that, letting dark eyes drift closed.

The next thing Roy knew, he was jolted awake as they trotted into camp, the dogs panting hard from the trip. Blinking sleep from his eyes quickly, the young colonel was already moving as the runners fell silent with halted movement.

"There's a tent already prepared for you an' the major over there," Chaffee informed him, indicating a white mound not too far away.

Roy nodded, slipping out from beneath the sleeping teen. Giving the sergeant a hand with their bags, he quickly transferred them to the tent, unrolling both bedrolls in a hurry. He hated wandering around in the late night cold like this, so the sooner this was done, the better. He also just did not have the heart to awaken Ed. First off, the boy would undoubtedly be cranky, and secondly...he just looked so peaceful like that. That was a rare enough image without destroying it.

Besides, he was just a kid.

With their things set aside and the flap of Ed's sleeping bag thrown back, Roy moved to retrieve the boy. He paused for a moment, watching as the bearded man unharnessed the dogs for a moment before asking, "Will we be leaving in the morning?"

"Nah, it's probably better to wait until daylight. Ya two can have brekkfist with the rest o' the crew."

Roy nodded. "Okay. Thank you, Sergeant."

"My pleasure, Sir."

Returning the man's salute, Roy finally picked the sleeping teen up from his warm nest in the sleigh. He could not stop a slight grunt from the unexpected weight as he lifted the boy, amazed at just how heavy the automail was. And this was the _lighter_ stuff? Dear gosh, but it was no wonder the kid was so short—you know, aside from that being a biological misconception. Ed ate enough to compensate for the added weight and still grow to his full capacity. On that note, the kid had nothing to blame his height on but genetics. Which seemed odd...but whatever. Roy did not know of anything else that could be causing it.

Setting the boy down carefully on the cot he had been given, Roy quickly stripped him of his boots and outer wear before tucking him in.

"Damn brat," he muttered mostly to himself. "Can't even put yourself to bed..." Though Roy did not mind as much as he could have. Still, he also did not enjoy doing this. He wanted to get himself to bed, too.

"Colonel, I know it's late, but if you wanted something to eat..." Chaffee muttered, sticking his head into the tent.

"That will be fine, Chaffee. Fullmetal and I ate on the train."

"Are you sure, Sir?"

"Yes, thank you. Breakfast will suffice."

"Okay, Sir. See you in the morning."

Finally left alone, Roy shed his own boots, mittens, hat, scarf, and jacket, collapsing into his own bed tiredly. He was going to enjoy sleeping not in his outdoor clothing while he could, because it was only going to get colder from here on. It was not long before he was dead to the world again.


	5. Smoke

Mustang was up early the next morning, dragging Ed out of bed with him at what had to have been sunrise—at least, had there _been_ sunrise at that hour in a place like Briggs. So, yeah, it would be sunrise in reasonable places, like Central. Where _he_ should be, looking for leads on the Stone.

No. He was wasting time complaining like that. The sooner he got focused on the task, the sooner he could go home, see Al again, and get back on the road to what he needed to be doing. So yeah, that was what he was going to do.

Ignoring the colonel's confused look when he suddenly started walking faster, forcing Mustang to hurry to catch up, the blond slipped into the mess tent, letting out a content huff in the warmer air before he could stop himself.

"Were you that cold, Fullmetal?"

Ed snorted. "Yeah, right. I'm just trying not to starve to death since a certain _someone_ decided not to wake me up for supper last night."

"You complained when I woke you up this morning, yet now you whine that I _didn't_ wake you last night? Make up your mind, Fullmetal."

"Y-yeah, well, that was for food!"

"And did I not get you up for breakfast just now?"

Okay, they were so not having this conversation. Ed did so hate it when his officer was right.

"Yeah, well...I'm still hungry."

"Then may I suggest actually going and getting your breakfast, rather than wasting my time? I'm hungry too, Ed."

He probably could have found a witty comeback to that—no, he _definitely _could have—but his rumbling stomach took precedence. Without a word, Edward approached the slow-moving breakfast line, grabbing a tray and taking his spot at the end while Roy did the same behind him.

"Hey, Mustang?"

"Hm?"

"Is this how all meals are done here?"

"Yes, this is standard military procedure for operation of military bases and military camps. Sometimes larger ones operate differently, but this is only a supply line, and they have to move a lot."

"Why?"

"Because, the military camps they're needed to supply move, and when that happens, they have to relocate too. Also, the terrain can change quickly out here, with avalanches closing passes and snowstorms making places inaccessible at times."

"It's gotta suck to live up here."

Mustang laughed a bit at that. "Yeah, well. Just be glad you don't."

By that point, it was their turn to collect breakfast, which consisted of a questionable bowl of warm oatmeal and a single slice of toast each. Much to Ed's chagrin, however, while Mustang was given a cup of hot coffee, he himself was handed a glass of..._milk_.

"...do they really expect me to drink this?"

"It's that or go without, Fullmetal."

"C'mon, Mustang...they must have orange juice, or something. You're a colonel! You can get me some."

"No, Fullmetal, I could not. And even if I could, I would not. You take what you are given when on military rations, and you do not complain."

"But Mustang...I hate milk." And he was so not whining.

The dark-haired colonel sent him a knowing smirk. "And I hate porridge." With that, Mustang set aside his bowl and stood, draining his cup as he did so. "I'll meet you back at the tent. Clean this up when you're done."

Once Mustang was out of sight, Ed glanced at the bowl his officer had shoved aside. It was spotless.

* * *

><p>Roy never did find out if Edward drank the milk, because, to be honest, he did not feel like breaching the issue again. He also just did not care that much. If Fullmetal had not, he would have to settle for eating snow until they stopped for their next meal in the mid afternoon.<p>

With their bags repacked, Roy left Chaffee to reload the sleigh while he took his subordinate around the camp, performing their inspection while teaching a half-attentive teenager what exactly it was that they were doing. It was a pretty simple task of performing a quick inventory check, looking over the records, and inspecting the operation of the base as a whole. With that taken care of, they piled back into the sled and set out once again.

This time, the trip was shorter, though Fullmetal spent most of it awake, watching the scenery fly past in silence. Roy had to admit that he was a little surprised at the boy's sudden compliance, reluctant though it clearly was, but he was going to let it go. Maybe the kid had finally realised that if he just co-operated, this trip would be easier on them both. It was not like either of them were getting away from the other up here, anyway, so they might as well work together.

...or the kid was planning something nasty once Roy's guard was down.

"Say, Mustang? Why did you join the military?"

Well, that was an unexpected question. "Why do you want to know, Fullmetal?"

"Nothing. Never mind. Just...forget I asked."

Roy sighed to himself. "I wasn't trying to turn you off, Fullmetal. I was just wondering why you want to know."

The boy seemed to war with himself for a moment before caving. "It's...something Havoc said to me once." Well, that was curious. "I called you out for only caring about the stars and stripes on your uniform, but he...got mad at me. Said you weren't really all about that."

That gave Roy pause. Sitting quietly for a moment, he finally shrugged faintly, knowing Ed could feel, if not see, the gesture. "To protect the people, Fullmetal. What better place to do that than high up in the military?"

"Why, Mustang? I mean, that's just...well..."

"Not what you expected of me?" he asked with a wry smile playing at his lips. "I am aware of that, Fullmetal. I'm not in this for any awards, though, regardless of how it may seem. I just want to do what I can for this country." He paused, debating the next words that left his mouth. "I made a promise too, you know." Though, the truth of the matter was that things had...changed. Edward did not need to know the details, though. The boy was still a child. Reality would hit him soon enough.

"You did?" The little brat honestly sounded shocked. "And here I thought you didn't know how to keep a promise."

"I kept yours, didn't I?"

Edward did not answer.

It was not long after that that the smoke from a large camp came into view. It was none too soon in Roy's opinion, however. Travelling by dogsled had been fun for the first few minutes, yet hours and hours stuck in this thing with a squirmy teenager—one with _metal limbs_, mind!—was too much.

As soon as the tents and lean-tos were in view, the dogs started barking, their excited yips and howls rather annoying, in the colonel's opinion. Still, there was little to do but put up with it. Mustang could only assume that this was Chaffee's base, and that the dogs were familiar with it. Sure enough, the sled had not even slid to a complete stop when a young girl of probably seven or eight came dashing over to the sled, falling into Dapple with an excited laugh.

"Now, now, Lilly," Chaffee scolded gently, a smile lighting up his grey eyes, "at least let me get them out of the harness, first."

"I thought they weren't pets?" Ed muttered cynically.

"Be polite, Fullmetal."

"Easy for you to say."

"Look, let's just get settled, then we can inspect the area and you can have the remainder of the night off. We won't be leaving until morning, anyway."

That perked the boy up a bit, and he hurried to collect his bags, before they followed a short, red-haired corporal to their tent. Setting their bags inside, it was a quick matter to grab some overdue lunch, which came in the form of sandwiches that were made with some questionable salted meat, and head out on their inspection.

They were in the process of inspecting the quality and upkeep of the weapons when the sound of shrieking, laughing children permeated the thick canvas of the tent. A second later, loud barking followed, coupled with more laughter.

With a frown, Roy moved toward the tent flap, pushing it aside to cast his obsidian gaze outside. The kids really should not be playing so close to dangerous weaponry. He would have to have a word with the woman in charge of the camp as soon as possible.

Before he could order the kids away, one of them glanced over and pointed to him, or, rather, something _behind_ him, and a quick glance confirmed it to be Fullmetal peeking out from beyond the flap.

"Come play with us!" a young girl with curly, brown hair called, waving energetically to his young subordinate.

"Fullmetal and I have work to do, and the rest of you shouldn't be playing here. It's dangerous."

The brunette girl pulled a face, her stormy grey eyes pleading. "But working's no fun. Daddy's always working." Ah, right. She was Lilly Chaffee, the daughter of their musher.

"Maybe he can join you later. Right now, you need to keep away from this tent."

With a sigh, the girl pouted and did as told. "Fine. But you better come!" With that, the kids were off, racing back through the snow as some of the dogs raced after them.

"You know, you could have let _me_ decide if I wanted to go with them or not."

"My apologies, Fullmetal. And here I thought a child might enjoy playing with some other children for a bit—once he was done his work, of course."

"I'm not a kid!"

Roy sighed. "Whatever you say, Ed."

_Yes, you are, and it's okay to act like one sometimes._

* * *

><p>Edward was not even given time to think once their inspection was completed, as the kids dashed over, seemingly out of nowhere, and dragged him off. Still, he could not deny, at least to himself, that playing with the kids in the snow was...fun. He got to know the children pretty quickly. Lilly seemed to be the ringleader, but aside from her there was a pair of twin girls, Kara and Cory. The twins were about a year younger than Lilly, and both sported matching heads of short, blonde hair and light brown eyes.<p>

Aside from the three girls, there were also two boys, Aidan and Mathieu. Aidan was a redhead with green eyes, and nearly two years older than Lilly, and tall for his age—taller than Ed, the blond noted, disgruntled. Mathieu was a brunet with green eyes, and the youngest of the group at barely five. Despite the range of ages, however, all the children seemed to get along well.

They spent the late afternoon engaging in snowball fights within the camp, being careful to keep to the lighted areas of the encampment while peppering off flurries of snow to pelt one another. At one point, Ed even managed to 'accidentally' smack one into the back of Mustang's head and disappear before he was seen. Oh yeah, that was so worth it.

At seven that night, a gong was sounded, ordering everyone to the mess tent for something to eat, and then it was time to retire for the night. In truth, Ed wanted to play more, but it just was not safe to be out and about too late up here, even if they stuck close to the tents. It was dark most of the time, but animals got bolder as it got later and the camp quieted down. Not to mention that the risk of raids only increased as the night wore on.

So it was that Ed found himself stuck in the tent late that night, too restless to sleep, but unable to really do anything. Mustang had wandered off to 'play cards' with some of the other officers—which meant get drunk, he was not stupid. Whatever, though, he was fine like this. He would just...read. Or try to, anyway.

"Eddie?"

He was just settling down when Lilly's voice sounded from outside the tent. Dropping the book to the floor, he hurried up to untie the entrance, pulling it aside to reveal the brunette girl and her mother standing outside, Twilight at their feet.

"We thought you might be bored, Sweetie," the older woman told him with a kind, motherly smile. "Would you like to come back to our tent for some hot cocoa?" Yes, yes he would.

With a quick nod, Ed grabbed his coat, mittens, and scarf and followed the two back to a large, comfortable tent sprawled out near the entrance to the camp. Outside, the dogs lay sprawled out, their thick coats protecting them from the chill that was fast intensifying as night gripped the area fully. At their heels, however, trotted Twilight, the black-and-white dog following them inside.

Once they were settled in, Twilight flopped at Lilly's feet as her mother made them hot drinks. With mugs of hot chocolate finally in hand, Ed braced himself for the inevitable questions: "what are you doing in the military so young?", "what do your parents think of you joining the State Alchemists?", "why did you join so early?" Much to his surprise, however, none of that came. Instead, he was faced with much more casual questions, like: "how did you get into alchemy?", "did you always want to be an alchemist?", "do you like Briggs so far?", and "it's sure cold up here, huh?" He was even asked about other hobbies that he had besides alchemy!

...it was weird. Aside from the fact that Al was not with him, he could almost believe he was just...spending an evening with his family. It was too bad the colonel could not have joined them...

What? No, wait. That was not what he had meant. No, it was just...this was so much better than getting drunk and gambling all night. Yeah, that was what he had meant. Stupid slip of the thoughts!

Collecting himself once more, the blond shoved all thoughts of family aside and just allowed himself to enjoy the evening talking and basking in the relaxing atmosphere.

* * *

><p>When Roy returned to the tent that night, he was not drunk, but he was also not fully sober. Due to his slightly dulled senses, he did not notice immediately that his young charge was not present. Readying himself for bed, it took him a moment, and tripping heavily on Fullmetal's empty cot, to realise that it was, well, empty.<p>

Blinking, he took his time to gather his thoughts before sobriety came crashing back in fullness. Shaking his head, the young colonel found himself hurrying out of the tent, half changed out of his warm outerwear, in a frantic effort to locate the missing teenager. Dammit, but he had told Edward to stay put! Where could the boy have gone?

Striding through the camp, he finally spotted a patrol guard.

"Have you seen Fullmetal?" he asked gruffly, indicating the boy's height with one hand as he strode over. There was probably a better way to do this, but it was not coming to him just then.

"I'm sorry, Colonel Sir? What do you mean?"

"Fullmetal! I can't find him."

"H-have you checked his tent, Sir?"

"Of course I have! How else do you think I know he's missing? You. Help me find him." Roy glanced at the guard's uniform. "No, you're on patrol. Just...keep an eye out for him." And with that, he was striding off again.

Maybe he had had just a bit too much to drink. He had meant to ration himself, he really had...and when had it got so cold? Oh, right. His coat was in the tent. After a moment's thought, he diverted his route, heading back for the added warmth of his jacket. As much as he wanted to find the boy, that was not going to happen if he froze to death.

Shoving the flap open, he stepped inside to pull on his coat and grab his scarf and gloves. As he was winding the scarf on, he stepped back outside, only to pause as a familiar sent assaulted his nostrils. For a long moment, his slightly clouded brain did not register it as wrong, and then a dog growled, followed by a scream.

That was when he placed the scent and why it _was_ wrong at just that moment. He was not practicing his alchemy, yet the smell was still there: _smoke_.

* * *

><p><em>So, this chapter is a whole lot shorter than usual, but I wanted to get it out. Also, I have had this stopping point in mind for awhile, so you guys are just going to have to deal. :3 This took me too long to write, anyway, but with school ending, I've been out having a social life (and working my ass off…). The next chapter…will come when it comes (hopefully faster, but I'm not going to promise anything with the way things are right now). Hope you enjoyed!<em>

_Also, no one commented on the dogs' names last chapter. Really? None of you recognised them? Or did you just not comment? On that note…how many of you get the story's name? I'm curious. ;3 _


	6. Black and Red

…_so, I'm not really happy with this chapter. At all. But you've all waited long enough, so here. I hope you guys like it more than I do. I need to thank all of you for sticking with me this far. Hopefully I get the next chapter done soon. Keep yellin' at me, guys._

_So, in the realm of the questions I asked last chapter…quite a few of you got the 233 Kelvin is __**cold**__. It's the point at which Fahrenheit and Celsius are equivalent, or -40. In other words, really freaking cold. _

_I'm a bit disappointed that nobody got the dogs though...so, in light of that, I'm going to make a game of it. First person to tell me where I got the dogs' names gets a one-shot of your choosing (I'll discuss what I will and will not write with the winner). So. To the people who undoubtedly knew the answer and did not bother leaving a review? There's some incentive. _

_Well, I'll shut up now. Happy reading! Thanks again to all of my lovely reviewers; I hope you'll continue to stick with me._

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><p><em>Ed!<em> was the first thought that ran through Roy's mind when his nose picked up the ashen sent of smoke from the freezing night air. He had no idea what was burning, but he could take a pretty good guess. The scent of smoke was not uncommon, here, but...there was just _too much of it_. With that in mind, he hurriedly exchanged the mittens he was wearing for the much thinner protection of his ignition gloves, shoving the heavier hand wear into his coat pockets.

Between the tents, planking was laid down to reduce the build up of slush, and it was across these planks that Roy moved as quickly as he could, despite the awkwardness of the footing. As much as he wanted Fullmetal to be his top priority, the boy was capable enough on his own. Usually. So that left his first order of business being to gather his bearing on the situation. The sooner he knew what was happening, the sooner he could figure out what to do about it.

Hurrying toward the smoke, he barely managed to duck behind a tent as a group of heavily-clothed men trotted past, their long, brown coats marking them as distinctly Drachman. Cursing to himself, he waited until they had passed before venturing out once more. This time he kept low, ducking between tents and listening carefully for any sounds of disturbance nearby. If these soldiers were taking heads today, he did not mean to be among them. No way, Roy Mustang still had places to go.

That said, he also intended to see to it that Fullmetal was not just another statistic, either. _That_ was a kid who was going places…and he wanted to see to it that the boy survived long enough to do just that.

"There's o—!" The man was burnt to a crisp before the second word was even out of his mouth. Roy did not enjoy killing, but he needed to stay alive, and killing was just one of the realities of war. If a soldier was not prepared to do so, then he would not survive long. Not long at all. Any solider that was not prepared to die in the line of duty was no soldier, either.

"There!"

_Shit!_ How had they…? Of course, the flames. _Way to advertise your presence, Roy. Real smart._ So it was that Roy's priorities were forcibly switched from finding his subordinate to surviving. As much as he wanted to find and protect the kid…he would not be much good to anyone dead or prisoner.

Fleeing, the young colonel found himself pressed to keep himself out of the way of shots being fired at him. Even as he stumbled forward as fast as he could across the hard-packed snow, Roy could not miss the occasional unmoving heap of clothing, the snow around it stained red. It made his blood boil. Sure, he was unfortunately familiar with such a scene, but that did not mean he had to like it.

On the run as he was, the dark-haired soldier was not given a lot of time to assess damage to the camp, but from what he could tell it seemed that there was a substantial amount of it. The troops stationed here had barely had any warning of the coming assault. Being unable to muster their defences accordingly, they had been annihilated in no time, the Drachmans seemingly intent on crushing the camp completely, rather than collecting prisoners.

A sign of aggression like this, Roy knew, could be the spark that started the fire, leading into an all-out war between Drachma and Central. It was a mess that his country did not need just then. Central was strong, but it was always at war. Did they not deserve some peace, too?

Skirting the still-smouldering remains of a tent, Roy almost literally ran into the enemy. Thankfully, his opponent looked as startled as he was, and took a moment to raise his gun. That was all the Flame Alchemist needed to send the man up in flames. Unfortunately for Roy, the gunpowder in the man's weapon also caught in the heat from the flames, and it reacted violently. The weapon exploded in a brilliant flash that was all the sharper for the snow and darkness surrounding him.

With a muffled curse, Roy stepped back, the bright flash blinding him temporarily as he blinked and saw only spots in his vision. So it was that he heard, rather than saw, the man charging at his back.

Still blinded, he fell back in an attempt to dodge whatever attack was coming his way as he fought to regain his vision. No such luck. Roy could only hope to _whatever _was out there that it would be painless as he heard his assailant—assailants?—move in for a second blow. He was still on the ground, icy snow chilling through his coat as he attempted to roll out of the way. He would not last long like this, however. Not long at all.

He was ready to lash out blindly with alchemy, not knowing who or what he would be hitting, when his attacker screamed. The screaming was soon accompanied by a furious growl, and so it became clear that a vicious struggle was occurring before him. Rubbing frantically at his still-sore eyes, a bloody picture slowly painted itself before him as his vision trickled back.

There, amidst bloody, slushy snow, a Drachman soldier was being brutally mauled by a dog. Its fangs were buried deeply in the man's calf at that moment, yet a second later it wrenched back, taking a piece of flesh with it. Several more wounds, similar to that one, decorated the dark-clad body of the man, the snow melting even as it was dyed red from the injuries.

With his helper out of the way and his vision returning bit by painful bit, Roy was ready to fry the guy, only the dog snarled once more, charging in and smashing its huge body into an already-wobbling leg. That was all it took for the soldier to go crashing to the ground with a hiss of pain. That was also the end of him, for in a spray of blood, the animal severed his former attacker's jugular and ended the confrontation.

Despite the fact that the dog just saved him, Roy still glanced at it warily. Truth be told, he did not consider it smart to trust a creature that had just torn a man's throat open too far. After all, how was the creature to know him from the attackers? Roy might like dogs, but he liked not being killed by one just a bit more. Especially one whose entire face and a good portion of its chest and forepaws were coated in blood. It was not a very appealing image.

Watching the animal warily, the alchemist could not help but tense as the massive dog sniffed at him for a moment before turning and trotting away. Thankfully, it seemed he had been recognised from when himself and Edward had been on the sled. After not ten strides, however, the dog turned back, staring at Roy. It was not until the colonel began walking after the hound that it turned and trotted on.

He smiled grimly to himself. _Alright, buddy; guess we're in this together. _

* * *

><p>Ed knew that it was getting late, despite the fact that it never seemed to be anything but out here, so he figured that it was time to head back—you know, before Colonel Jerkface showed back up and found him 'missing'. So it was that he began bidding the family farewell, pulling on his warmer clothing as he did so.<p>

He was just tugging his gloves into place when Twilight began to growl. Lilly immediately moved to shush the dog, who would have none of it, ignoring the girl in favour of creeping toward the tent flap. A quick glance to his hostess confirmed his suspicions that the dog had been placed on guard by something he had sensed outside. Without a second thought, the blond swept aside the entrance, amber eyes widening at a plume of smoke that was too big for a normal campfire.

Sweeping the flap closed quickly, he glanced between Lilly and her mother with a frown. "I don't know what sort of plans you guys have in case you're attacked, but you might want to get on them." And with that, he moved the canvas aside, intending to take off.

"Wait!"

Halting, he glanced back.

"I have to warn my husband. Can you take Lilly?"

Ed blinked. What on earth was he going to do with a little girl?

"Look, she knows where to go. Go with her at least that far, please? I wouldn't be able to protect her, even if I could go."

The pleading look he was being sent had Edward caving before he knew it.

"Fine, fine…" After all, was it not partially his job to see the people here to safety? "Just hurry up and get ready." His words were needless, however, because Lilly was already being tugged into a warm coat, scarf, hat, and mittens.

With Twilight at her heels, Lilly was soon ready, following Ed out into the cold. The blond alchemist shot one glance back into the tent as it shut behind him. He never heard the whispered words that followed them out.

_Maybe this way you'll be safe, too…_

* * *

><p>Following Lilly's directions, it was not long before the duo plus dog were crawling into a decently large dugout of snow. Upon closer inspection, the young alchemist could not help feeling impressed at the skill of it. It had been made using alchemy, that was for certain, and it was not likely to collapse, even if several people ran across it. The snow leading up to the hiding place had been hardened, also. Not enough to slip, but enough that footprints were almost non-existent. Certainly they were not noticeable in this dark.<p>

The whole architecture had Ed wondering, at least for a moment, why the entire camp had not been constructed this way. He quickly brushed the thought aside, however. This base was not _meant_ to be hidden. They were just taking precautions in the event of...well, in the event of _this_. This was a camp that held for months at a time, so families were present here. Having a hiding place for the young and infirm was imperative.

"Lilly?"

It was only then that Ed noticed that most of the camp's other children were present, hiding far to the back of the small room. It was at that moment that the blond realised why he had been sent here. It was not solely to see that Lilly got here safely, it was to guard the kids. Well then...that was what he was going to have to do, wasn't it? So _much for going out and giving them a hand_. He would not fail in this, though.

_Nina..._

"It's okay, Mathieu, my dad'll fight them off!"

"Eddie, is the...are the bad guys really out there?"

Kneeling in front Cory, the blond reached out and ruffled her hair gently. "Yeah, but don't worry. You're safe in here, and like Lilly said, her dad and the Colonel will take care of it."

"'kay...thanks Eddie," the little girl murmured before grabbing him in a tight hug.

_Dammit, Mustang, don't you make a liar out of me._

* * *

><p>"Where are we going, dog?" And why was he talking to a dog? Right, because there was nobody else for him to talk to. Well, fine then. "Hey...!"<p>

With a grumble, he found himself forced to run after the dog as the huge creature raced off, his paws slamming into the snow in a heavy tempo, tongue lolling out of the side of his mouth as he ran. Why was he sticking with the animal? Well, the fact of the matter was, the dog had saved Roy's life twice since their initial encounter. Roy's eyes were still a bit unclear, and he just did not have the senses of a dog to compensate for the loss of vision. Plus it was good at avoiding patrols of enemies. As for allies?

...they hadn't seen any.

For safety reasons, they had stuck close to a perimeter of the camp. Or, at least, Roy _thought_ it was the perimeter. He was still having some difficulty seeing in the dim light, after all. In contrast, however, looking toward the bright light of the fires was painful. It was not a combination to put his mind at ease.

The sight that met Roy's eyes once the dog stopped, and he himself had caught up, did not put his mind at ease, either. There, in a bloodied heap in the snow, lay two of the dogs—the bigger ones; he didn't remember their names. His companion sniffed at the corpses for a moment before growling and loping off, forcing Roy to chase after him or be left alone in the dark.

What were the Drachmans up to? This attack did not seem to have any point or structure, so far as Roy could tell, yet…people were dying in it, there was no denying that. Why, though? Why were those poor people dying? And even the dogs. While he did not pretend to care much about the animals, at least not compared to the people getting slaughtered, he did not see any reason for the butchery they had left behind. Certainly, Roy was willing to admit that the animals could be dangerous…but that butchery had been uncalled for.

When the dog slowed its strides, Roy was able to catch up, obsidian eyes struggling to piece together the image before them. It was dark; it was usually dark, and because of that fact he had been having trouble keeping his bearings. As things came into focus, the colonel realised that they had…come a ways from the camp. Further than he had initially thought, to be sure. In fact, he mentally kicked himself for not at least noticing the diminishing of the smoke plumes. Part of him had just assumed they had been dissipating, and the other part had not given it any more thought than that. He had, truth be told, had more important things to think about than the size of clouds of smoke.

As much as he hated to admit it, Roy knew that there was little he could have done if he had stayed, and that the dog leading him away from camp had probably saved his life. There was little he could do with his sight still half wiped out, yet he...was terrified as to the state of the camp. Edward. The kids. He had seen no living ally since he had first noticed the smoke earlier that evening.

With a yawn, the dog set himself down on the snow, curling up into a tight ball, tail up and covering his face. With a soft sigh, Roy dropped down next to the dog, his tired body needing a break. With a deft snap of his fingers, a small flame sprang up...only to wind up smothered instantly as the bright light hitting the snow stung his eyes. After a moment, Roy untied his scarf, wrapping it around his head to shield his eyes before trying the flame again. This time he found himself able to stand the glow the small flame created.

Wrapping his free arm around his legs, the colonel held the flickering flame dancing lightly over his other hand. The reaction demanded all of his attention as he fed carbon and oxygen from the air into the blaze to keep it burning. The warmth, however, was more than appreciated.

...as was the time to think. He needed to figure out what to do, and how, without getting himself or any possible hostages killed. As much as he wanted to rush back to the camp...he was half blind and his troops consisted solely of a dog he could not even remember the name of.

"What do you think?"

With a snort, the animal's head came up, blue eyes meeting black calmly. After a moment, the dog stood once more, shaking his coat for a moment walking over to lay his head on one of Roy's knees. With the animal so close, Roy was able to get his first good look at the dog, its grey and red coat triggering his memories somewhat. Hopper, wasn't it; the lead dog? Well, it was the best guess he could give, that was for sure. If he was wrong, then the dog could live with being called the wrong name.

Reaching out with the hand not holding the flame, he stroked the dog's ear absentmindedly as he wracked his brain. "What are we going to do..."


	7. Cold

_So, anyone still around? Hahah… No, really, I'm sorry for the wait. I actually forgot about this story, and that's just terrible. I really am sorry for the wait. Hopefully, it won't happen again. My goal for NaNoWriMo this year is to finish this story, and I think that I have a real chance of succeeding in that._

_Wish me luck? _

_Anyway, I just want to take this chance to fire off some gratitude. First off, for all of the lovely and encouraging reviews I've gotten for this story. You guys are great. Secondly, to my wonderful readers. Your patience has been outstanding. Thank you. And thirdly, to Final Hikari, for helping with editing this chapter as I struggle with a nasty cold. Thanks, m'dear. You're the best._

* * *

><p>To say that the night's passing was agonising would be a gross understatement. Ed held his ground with determination, keeping himself firmly in the snow cave's opening so that no one could get in and endanger his charges. Forcing himself to stay awake, the young alchemist kept a sleepless vigil, his powerful mind turning over everything he knew, every possible strategy he might use to <em>keep them all alive<em>.

While the cave was not particularly cold—scratch that, it was pretty comfortable—the air outside was not so forgiving. As tempting as it was to hide out in the cave until they were found, Ed was not so convinced that that was a good idea. The base was compromised, they had little in the way of supplies, and they were so well hidden that he was anything but convinced they _would_ be found—by ally or foe. No, if they were going to be rescued, they needed to make it happen.

With the rising of the sun, well into the morning, Edward knew that it was time to go. The children were getting restless, the confined space nowhere near enough to allow them to get rid of the boundless energy children always seemed to have.

"Stay here, I'm going to go see how things are out there." Now that there was enough light to see, Ed realised that he could not stand waiting around any longer.

"Eddie? Stay safe..." Cory piped up from her place nestled in the corner.

"Don't worry, Cory, I will." Crouching down, Ed wiggled out of the small entrance, refusing to allow himself to ponder how easy it was.

Puffing in the shockingly frigid air, the blond stamped his feet hard in his boots, wiggling the toes of his left foot to encourage continued circulation. Wrapping his arms around himself, Ed set off scanning the terrain, trying to ignore the way violent shivers wracked his body.

_You know, Mustang, right now would be a good time for your hot-assed...hot...air!_ His mental tirade was cut of quickly as amber eyes took in the scene before him. The camp? Well, it was not there any longer. All that remained were charred humps marking where tents had once stood. Scattered about between the remains of the camp shelters, some of which were still smoking, were smaller, though equally unmoving, lumps. Ed did not have to approach those very closely to realise what they were.

Gritting his teeth stubbornly, the young alchemist pressed on, trying his utmost to ignore the carnage around him. Around many of the smaller lumps, the steadily-growing light revealed dark stains in the snow.

Blood.

Turning his eyes down to his feet, the thirteen-year-old tried to tell himself that it was nothing he had not seen before—that he and Al had been through worse. Yet the thought refused to stick. Seeing what had been done to Nina had been horrific, walking a battlefield—a slaughter yard—was something else entirely.

So lost was he in his train of thought, Ed missed the furry foreleg stretched out in his path until he was almost on top of it. With a soft yelp, the young teen jerked back, eyes going wide as his foot brushed over the white forepaw. Stumbling to keep his balance, Ed quickly stepped back, a grimace taking his lips as the stiff form of Sparks came fully into his line of sight. Her mostly white-and-grey coat hid her well in the white of the snow, especially in the dim, early light; the red in her coat mixed with the red that had long since ceased to leak from two bullet wounds in her ribs.

Clenching his fists, amber eyes hardened as Ed's head came up, bringing the grey form of Smoke into his line of sight not four feet away. Half of his side was almost black with caked blood.

At the sound of a low growl behind him, Ed spun to find himself face-to-face with none other than Twilight, the darker animal standing out fairly distinctly against the shimmering white of the landscape.

_You'd never be able to spot Alexander in this..._ Crushing the thought almost as it came on, the young alchemist kept a wary eye on Twilight as the dog trotted over to his sister, nudging her with his muzzle.

Not bothering to wait for the dog, Edward opted to continue his search. It was a difficult trek, as skirting the carnage meant avoiding the path as often as not. Furthermore, the snow was not easy to walk on with one of his legs being so much heavier than the other. Still, he pressed on with tenacity, refusing to falter.

It was full light when his path crossed with Twilight's again. The white of the dog's muzzle had been stained red; Ed did not want to think about why. When the huge animal stopped to stare at him, the blond hesitated only a moment before changing course to move towards the dog. That seemed to be the correct course of action, for Twilight immediately set off at a brisk trot, clearly leading the way towards...something.

That something, as it turned out, was a bloodied corpse. Glancing at the dog, Ed could only wonder what had led the animal to bring him there, to help him find one of the things he had so desperately sought: Lilly's father.

Feeling a wave of despair wash over him at the realisation that they were utterly alone in the world, the short blond made no effort stop the look of utter hopelessness that took his features as he dropped to his knees in the snow. He had always been a capable child, but this was just beyond him. There was _no one else here_, and he was stuck with little food, precious little other resources, and a group of children who would doubtlessly want to know _where there parents were_. What was he supposed to tell them? What was he supposed to _do_? He didn't have any answers.

…in truth, he just wanted someone to come along and help him. _Dammit, Mustang, you picked a real good time to disappear._ His overtired, stressed mind did not even want to consider the fact that his commanding officer was to be counted amongst the casualties, though logically the possibility was high. He just…mentally, he needed flame-faced Mustang to be out there somewhere. He needed something to hang onto.

Even the scarf wrapped tightly around his face did not stop the icy wind from reaching his cheeks, the tears leaking from his eyes freezing to them. When had he started crying? He needed to buck up and take this like a man! He was no kid any longer; he had proven _that_ often enough.

Standing, the blond stubbornly wiped his eyes with the inside of the scarf, musing over what his commanding officer would do in this situation. Aside insult him.

Mustang would seek provisions. He would take them to safety; try to alert any potential rescuers…

What potential rescuers? They were up in the mountains, isolated. According to the map jammed in with the supplies in the hideaway, the closest camp was days away by foot. Any supplies were taken or burned, and the adults were likely all dead or captured. Just what the hell was he supposed to do? He was thirteen!

…thirteen, and the only hope of those kids. What was he: A bratty kid, or a State Alchemist? The answer was obvious, but he was still scared. So scared.

Forcing himself to his feet, Ed bolted back towards the shelter, refusing to look back as he ran. Behind him, he heard Twilight's claws scrape off the snow as the dog scrambled to catch up, falling in beside him at an easy lope. Or maybe just ahead. And maybe the dog actually led him back to the shelter.

Maybe.

Knowing what he had to do did not make things any easier, but he did what he had to, collecting the children and the supplies, then hustling them away. He lied. He lied a lot, promising that their parents would meet them at the next camp over, saying they had been forced to flee ahead. It was a lie. All of it was a lie, but he needed the children to keep their spirits up.

That did not help the way each word twisted in his gut, though.

At the very least, the group he led from the camp, skirting well around the carnage, had its spirits up and a spring in its step. Little did they know that things were destined to get worse long before they got better.

* * *

><p>For Roy, the day passed no more easily. Exhaustion had him long before the sun came up, yet there was no part of his overtired mind that could calm enough to rest properly. Besides, that seemed a good way to freeze to death. Once there was enough light to see by, however, he was on his feet and taking the long trek back to the camp, mutt in tow.<p>

Unfortunately for Roy, the flash from the night before still plagued his vision, and the brilliant sunlight hitting the snow was doing him no favours. His eyes and head throbbed with it, forcing him to sacrifice his scarf to shade his vision. It was a move that left him colder, but brought about much-needed relief from the light.

Arrival revealed a scene no better than the one he had fled the night before. None of the bodies, not even the Drachmans, had been cleaned up, and the freezing temperatures had frozen the scene pretty solidly. Still, it was only a matter of time before the wildlife found it. In all likelihood, only some of the still-smouldering tents had kept the wild out this long. With night not far off, he had need of haste.

A quick circuit of the camp revealed that nothing of use seemed to have survived. Carnage, destruction, and death were the order of the day. The supply tents had been ransacked and burned, along with the munitions shed and all of the dwellings. There were no living people—and there was no sign of Fullmetal.

A more thorough search revealed yet another interesting development: _None _of the kids were among the visible dead. Now, that was not to say they had not been captured and carted off, but the fact was, all of the corpses belonged to adults.

So, what had happened? Had the Drachmans taken them? Had Fullmetal somehow gotten away? Had he gotten away with the kids? Had the Drachmans just ignored them?—let them go? Whatever the case, he needed to get to the bottom of it, because the lives of the kids could depend on it.

He could only hope that trail would lead him to Fullmetal, too.

It was on his third loop of the camp that Hopper veered off, trotting towards the far end of the camp, nose to the ground. Hesitating only a moment, Roy determined that there was more to be gained by following the dog than there was picking through dead and torched bodies.

Changing course, he hurried after the jogging animal, his quick strides sounding eerily hollow on the wooden planking. The camp, which just yesterday had been a bustle of activity and life, was silent as the grave.

He quickened his stride.

Now, if there was one thing he was certain of, it was that he had never before seen the hideaway he was led to. A glance inside revealed…nothing. No one was there. So what was the purpose of it? He could not help the flash of irritation he felt that the location had not even been mentioned to him. He could have made use of this.

But wait, he was not thinking. The dog. Why had the dog come here? A closer examination of the animal's movements revealed that Hopper was examining the area thoroughly, nose to the cold ground as he snuffled along. After a moment, the creature picked his pace up to a lope, moving several strides from the entrance of the hideout, before stopping to look back at Roy.

So, it seemed he had two choices, wander the camp aimlessly, or follow a crazy dog who might or might not be leading him to his targets. Well, the answer was pretty obvious. Roy Mustang was a man of action, and this was a time _for_ action.

Without a second thought, he hurried after the dog.

* * *

><p>Cold. It was so…cold. What had happened? Why was it so cold? It was numbing, encompassing what seemed to be every part of her skin, save one part of her head, where it burned. Why did it burn? Where was she? Where was her mom? Her dad?<p>

"Kara! _Kara_!" a myriad of voices cried from the shore, accompanied by the frantic barking of a dog.

Brown eyes opened slowly, only it stung. It stung so badly—why did her eyes fight her so? Her eyelashes…why were they frozen together? It hurt. She hurt. Her body was cold, her head hot. The sounds, they were too much. She screamed.

The walk had been cold, but not this cold, and Eddie had kept them bundled together, with Twilight trotting ahead of them and acting as a guard. They were low on supplies, though, and so the teenager had been insistent that they keep their eyes open for anything that might pass as food. They had not _really_ known what to look for, but she remembered…trying. Her father had taught her something of living in the north, and even if she was only a child, it still helped a little. And she knew; she knew animals were food.

Yes, that was why she had done it. A rabbit, she had seen a rabbit gliding over the snow and gone after it. Maybe it had been a silly idea—she could not catch a rabbit on her own!—but she had only wanted to help…

She had not expected a bear to rise up in her path, its snowy coat hiding it effectively until she was all but on top of it. Twilight had shot in, teeth bared, to crash into the creature easily three times his weight.

The blonde vaguely remembered falling backwards, along with the bear and Twi, the ground under them cracking open as three bodies smashed into it. Her head had hit a rock, and that was the last she remembered.

As awareness trickled back, so did the realisation that she was floating in water, slowly sinking under as her coat, which was caught on a sharp clump of ice, ripped gradually downwards. At least she was still above water. In the distance, the young blonde could hear Twilight barking and growling; she turned her head. The dog was snapping the bear towards the hole, eventually the edge crumpled and the monstrous animal toppled in.

Unfortunately for Kara, the resulting impact tore the rest of her coat, dragging her completely under from the suction of the huge beast. For several seconds, she had no idea what was going on, opening her mouth to scream only to have icy water rush in. A second crash of water followed, and she blacked out again.

* * *

><p>"C'mon! Kara, wake up!"<p>

Someone was yelling in her ear, pushing on her chest. She was coughing. Freezing water was pouring out her mouth—and then, air. She could breathe again.

Sitting up with Ed's help, the little blonde shivered violently, tears and sobs suddenly wracking her frozen form. What was going on—why was this happening? She was so cold.

"E-Eddie…!" she choked out, throwing herself forward into her saviour's grasp. It was too cold. Her skin hurt and her head was still on fire.

"S-sis?"

"Cory!" Squirming free of Ed, Kara grabbed her twin, still sobbing. Moments later, Cory was crying, too, the sisters clinging to each other. She was so cold, the bitter wind biting through her clothing and numbing her in a way she had never felt before, despite living her whole life in the cold north. This was agony.

"Take off your jacket and put this on," a tired-looking Eddie told her, amber eyes full of worry. Accepting the flamboyant, red coat that belonged to the older blond, she quickly pulled it around her, in place of her own ripped and saturated jacket. It was warmer, but she still shivered violently.

"Lilly, Aiden," Ed muttered after a moment, turning away from her, "take care of her. I'm going to start a fire. And Aiden? See what you can do about bandaging her head."

Ed did the best he could, settling the kids down around a blazing fire with what little food they had. Only the fire was not as blazing as he would have liked, decent kindling being hard to come by. The young alchemist also did all he could to warm Kara up, drying her clothing and rubbing her skin, yet there was no missing the blue tinge her lips had taken on, or the way she shivered violently. Even the weak—yet hot—soup they had mixed in a bowl transmuted from stone, had barely been enough to shave an edge off of her chill.

It left him frightened beyond what he would admit to.

Eventually, the kids all huddled up together, vying for warmth with one another as they slept in what could only be described as a huge ball. After a few minutes, inspiration struck, and Ed transmuted the snow around them. What resulted was similar to the previous hideout, with the snow keeping the cold out and the body heat in. Smothering the fire, he set himself up slightly inside the entrance. The hero of the day, Twilight, took the spot directly in front of the entrance.

How the dog did it, Ed had no idea. He had jumped into the water and pulled Kara out without a lick of hesitation. Even soaked, the dog had not whined, and instead had gone off to…well, he thought to hunt. And now Twilight was guarding them. What would they have done earlier without Twilight? Ed himself could not have jumped in, and none of the other kids could have, either. Without the dog…Kara would be gone.

Still, dog or no dog, he prayed the night passed uneventfully.

* * *

><p>Morning brought with it no relief. Kara would not wake up. A frantic Cory had screamed and started shaking Ed frantically long before sunrise, sobbing that her sister would not open her eyes. A quick check confirmed that the girl was still alive, but unconscious. This was going to make travel difficult.<p>

Ideally, he would be able to stay put and take care of Kara; keep her warm and hydrated. Yet if he did that, he risked all of their lives. They had enough to feed themselves today, barely, but nothing to last several days.

He had to leave. Kara might die…but he had to lead them on.

After some thought, he opted to transmute a sled and bundle Kara up on it as best he could. Slinging a wood-wrought rope over one shoulder, he set off, dragging Kara behind him, the rest of the children clustered around.

It was a sober group, with not even cheerful Mathieu willing to show his spunk, that clopped along. Blessedly, Aiden took the initiative to keep an eye on the map, and with a bit of help from Ed himself, the redhead managed to steer them well.

It was not until they were about ready to stop for lunch, sometime not long after sunrise, that disaster struck.

Kara had not woken once all morning, even when the sled jolted and jerked its way through ruts, and now, Lilly had stopped dead, staring hard at the sleeping girl.

"Eddie, Kara's not moving."

Halting with a tired grunt, the blond stretched painfully and turned to the girl. "She's just unconscious, Lilly," he began, almost haltingly. "She won't move."

"Eddie, I don't think she's _breathing_."


	8. Memorium

_A shorter one, and more filler than anything before the story enters the homestretch. The ending is bearing down on us, and I'm a bit excited, I admit. This really has been a fun project, and I can't believe I'm almost done writing it! I'm thinking two, maybe three more chapters, one of which is nearly done. Wow. _

_Anyway, I'm glad there are still people reading this, and I hope you stick around a bit longer. It's almost done!_

* * *

><p>The landscape was lacking in woody plant growth, but it was not entirely void of it, a fact which Roy quickly became thankful for. The walk was difficult in his boots, and so he was forced to craft himself a pair of crude snowshoes. It was not an easy task, given his poor eyesight, and he found himself forced to stop and rest his eyes several times during the process.<p>

Eventually he managed, using a small belt knife he carried on him to sheer branches from the nearby vegetation. For bindings, he cut strips from his jacket and used them to lash the poorly-fitted sticks together. It was hardly a perfect job, yet it would do. It would have to, because walking without was nigh on impossible.

…well, perhaps not impossible, but it sure was a pain. Figuratively _and _literally.

Each hour spent trudging through the white fluff was nothing short of torture for Roy. His thighs and calves ached with the effort of dragging his heavily-shod feet through the snow, and his eyes burned from staring into the gleaming white. Thankfully, it was winter, which meant that there were only a few hours of daylight each day. A small blessing.

Aside the difficulty with the snow, hunger and exhaustion gnawed at him viciously. He had not eaten anything since the day before, nor had he slept a wink that night. Still, it was a soldier's duty to press on no matter what, and the lives of those children—and Fullmetal; let Fullmetal be with them!—could depend on his ability to go without sleep. It was hardly his first sleepless night ever, anyway.

If there was one good thing to be said of the snow, it was that he never lacked for water, taking the edge off both his thirst and his hunger. His own alchemy kept him warm when the cold got to be too much—which was often, considering he was eating snow. His alchemy also proved helpful with what little cooking there was. Thankfully, there was some of that.

Long after darkness had fallen that first day, Roy was forced to grind to a halt. Collecting what he could of dry shrubs and brush, he used his alchemy to start a fire, huddling close to it as he allowed his exhausted eyes to finally droop closed.

Three, perhaps four, hours later, Roy was awakened by a wet nose nudging at his face. Pushing himself up groggily, he blinked slowly to clear his vision, a task that took far longer than it should. Once he finally had some degree of sight back, he heaved more kindling onto the fire and gazed around the area as the fire roared back to life. There, not two feet from his hand, was a rabbit.

"Guess you're good for something other than pulling a sled after all," the alchemist muttered aloud, picking up the dead animal as he did so. Grabbing his knife, he skinned the rabbit and set it to cooking. As he worked, Hopped curled up beside the fire, the dog dozing off almost immediately. Well, Roy figured he had earned a nap.

After a decent breakfast of roast rabbit, Roy doused the fire with snow and pushed himself back to his feet, staggering slightly before catching himself. To his left, Hopper also rose, shaking out his heavy coat before looking up at Roy.

Without a word, Roy nodded to the animal before back to the metaphorical trail. After a moment, Hopper leapt ahead of him, nose to the ground as he sniffed at the snow and air before trotting off. With a shrug to himself, the flame alchemist stamped into his makeshift snowshoes and dragged himself after the dog. It was destined to be another long day.

The landscape was utterly unrelieved as they travelled, pure white broken only by occasional woody shrub or small tree clinging desperately to life in the frozen tundra. To his right, mountains nipped at the sky, and beneath his feet the land rolled and undulated. The foothills were a far cry from the parent mountains, yet they still challenged one's stamina. The sun's eventual conquest of the sky did little to salvage it, either, as Roy was once again plagued by his strained eyes.

It was not long after sunrise that Hopper stopped dead, Roy almost walking into the dog before he could stop himself. Stepping back at a warning growl from the animal, the young colonel had to fear for a moment if the dog had gone mad, until it tilted its nose skyward and let out a long, echoing howl. Folding his arms, Roy stared at the animal as he sat, apparently listening, and eventually got up, altering their course slightly north.

With a huff, the flame followed. "You could at least tell me next time you're going to do that." And now he was seriously talking to the dog. He _was_ going crazy.

* * *

><p>Ed's heart stopped at Lilly's words. Twisting sharply, he stumbled and nearly landed on his butt before he could catch himself, yet that barely slowed his dash to the sled at all. Dropping to his knees, the blond ripped off his left glove and placed his hand to Kara's forehead. Ice cold. All but tearing off his right glove, he rubbed off one of his fingers and placed it under the girl's nose. Nothing.<p>

All but panicking now, Ed bent down, pressing his ear to her chest. Still nothing. Cutting off a sob of fear, he pressed the fingers of his left hand to her throat, desperately seeking a pulse. _Still nothing_. Thumbing one of Kara's eyelids open, he gently tilted her face towards the sun, searching for pupil dilation. There was none.

Choking back a sob, Ed dropped to his butt in the snow, ignoring the frantic shrieks of terrified children as he stared off into the distance. Heart racing, the blond felt his breaths come faster as he started to panic. It was Nina all over again.

It was like he was trapped in a never-ending loop of failing the people who were relying on him. All he could see was the bloodstained wall; he could smell only iron. He had said never again.

But it was happening again.

_Little Big Brother!_

He remembered all too well those big, blue eyes staring up at him, hopeful and with just a hint of question in them. Her desire to play. Alexander. Watching her ride on Al's shoulders and demand that the suit of armour 'chew lots!'.

Throwing snowballs and laughing with the other children. Ducking behind the snow bank as a rain of snowballs peppered the front of it. Plotting to gang up on one person together. A barking dog running between fortifications…

The memories blurred together. Was the dog white, or was he black-and-white? Who were they hitting? Al? Mustang? He could not figure it out. It was such a haze.

Slowly, despite his own confusion, the sound of hysterical crying drew him back to the present. Blinking fiercely to clear his vision, Ed forced himself to look away from the too-still face in front of him, and back to the huddled group of other children.

Lilly, despite her own tears, was trying frantically to soothe a hysterical Cory, who was demanding to know what was wrong with him, and why Kara was not moving. Little Mathieu clutched Aiden , his face buried in the older boy's jacket though that did nothing to hid the obvious sobs shaking the boy's shoulders. And Aiden was obviously fighting tears himself, if the tight expression on the redhead's face was anything to go by.

Even Twilight seemed to be mourning, the dog sitting back on his haunches and letting out a single, long howl.

What was he doing? He could _not_ give up here. These kids needed him. If he was not there to watch out for them, then what? They would all die here, that was what. He had to keep going. He had to get them all to safety. And he had to get himself home to Al.

Wiping his own eyes, Ed slowly pushed himself back to his feet, staring at each of the remaining four children. "W-we," his voice caught, and the blond stopped to swallow, waiting until he was certain he could speak before continuing, "we have to move on. Kara would have wanted it. I am going to get the rest of you home safely."

It was not as simple as that, of course. The kids were hysterical, and Ed was hard-pressed to calm them down. Twilight had picked up the mood of the group, and kept pacing restlessly, every now and then stopping to bark or howl into the distance. And then there was the matter of what to do with Kara. He could take her, but pulling the weight would slow them down. That aside, was it really wise to do so? For the kids' moral? Seeing her, having to look at her…he could not see it being a good thing.

As he was soothing the kids, Cory especially, Ed allowed one part of his mind to contemplate the issue, and he thought he had a workable solution by the time he had most of the tears reduced to sniffles. Patting Cory on the head one last time, Ed stood and walked a short way from the kids.

Kneeling, he clapped once and laid his hands on the snow. The white that covered the ground hurriedly melted away, vaporising and drifting off into the sky. Clapping a second time, he parted the frozen ground, leaving a gaping hole in the earth. Taking a deep breath, Ed stood once more and moved to gently lift Kara from the sled. As he went to lower her into the hole, Cory broke free of Lilly's grasp.

"Wait! Eddie!" she called, voice thick with grief. Unwrapping her scarf, the surviving twin placed it around her sister's neck. "So she…won't get cold."

Hesitating only a moment, Ed offered her a smile. "I bet she appreciates it, Cory," he murmured as he finally placed the little girl into the grave he had made for her. Transmuting yet again, he lowered the bottom of the hole, even as he filled it in. He did not stop there, however. Using some of the earth and rock from nearby, he altered the composition and summoned it into a solid metal pillar over the grave. Finally, he engraved the little one's name into the metal before stepping back, work complete.

"There," he muttered, "now nobody can forget her."

* * *

><p>Aside the pain in his eyes and the ache in his legs, Roy's day was fairly uneventful. The landscape seemingly unaltered, he trudged along, heating the air around him with fire whenever he grew too cold. The simple task left his mind free to think.<p>

He trusted the dog to lead him to the kids—what other choice did he have, really? Hopper seemed to know what he was following, for following it undoubtedly was, and he could not logically see what else that could be. Well, unless a group of soldiers had escaped, or maybe the dog was leading him on a crazy revenge mission. Regardless, Hopper was his best lead—his only one, really—so he had no choice but to follow it.

Near sunset, Roy spotted what seemed to be a gleaming metal pole in the distance. Halting, he squinted and stared, unable to discern more than that it was there, reflecting the dimming light brilliantly. Without anything more to go on, he let the matter go and hurried after the dog.

When he was eventually forced to halt for the night, it became much a repeat of the night before as he curled up by a sparse fire to await a chance to continue. Morning—if it even deserved the name, damn, cursed darkness!—brought with it a surprising revelation. Aside the hoped-for rabbit waiting not far from him, there were not one, but two, dogs napping by the dying blaze. Moving carefully, the alchemist skirted the familiar hound, keeping a wary eye on the newcomer as he picked up his would-be breakfast.

As he worked to prepare his daily meal, Roy eyed the new dog suspiciously as it woke up. Yawning languidly, the creature stood and walked a short distance away, sniffing at the air all the while. It seemed that while he had slept, Hopper had reunited with one of his pack mates.

Roy just hoped that the second dog, who he thought to perhaps be the other leader, Dapple, was not what they had come all this way for.

Whatever the case, Roy finished his breakfast eagerly and the three were on their way once more. Thankfully, it seemed that the two animals were still on the trail of something. As they veered further north, Roy grew more and more convinced that the dogs were looking for something. He could only hope it was not another dog. He did not care to spend the rest of his life following mutts around as they looked for the rest of the pack.

It was well passed sunrise when movement in the distance caught his eye—in part because the two dogs were acting tense. After a moment, the two bolted, barking loudly. A harder look revealed the form of a wolf bearing down on them.


	9. Reunion

_I'm really, really sorry about the long wait for this chapter. I…fell into a really miserable depression back in November, and stopped really caring about anything. That's all in the past, though, and I will truck towards finishing this baby. Because I really, really want to._

_Thanks for your patience with me, everyone. Your reviews and support mean the world to me, and it is because of those things that I pulled it together and picked this baby back up. (In fact, I picked this story to write tonight because of all of you, so…thank you. So much.)_

* * *

><p>Ed knew that there was only so much more he could get out of the kids that day, and so he made a decision. Taking advantage of the sled he had made the day before, he bundled Mathieu and Cory into it. The two kids were exhausted from all of the walking, and this would save them some of that. It would not save Ed himself, but he was in better shape.<p>

However, it could not last, and they travelled until barely after dark before Ed called a halt. The kids were distressed, and he himself was ready to fall over. Hurriedly transmuting a shelter for them, he hustled the kids inside before taking the supply bag from Aiden and setting to work preparing their supper.

Their meager supplies did not allow for anything grand, but he managed to put together another weak stew using what salted meat they had and the rest of their dried vegetables. It was not going to taste especially good, but it was hot and it would fill the stomach. It had to; it was all they had.

As he was serving the meal, using bowls he had transmuted out of stone, Twilight took off running from the camp. With a cry of alarm, Lilly made as if to run after the dog, only to be forced to stop when Ed grabbed her arm.

"No, Lilly."

"But Twi…!"

"Twilight knows what he's doing," Ed told her, trying for an encouraging smile. "He'll be back."

The little girl did not look totally convinced, but at least she stopped straining against him, prompting the blond to release her. He just hoped his own words were true. If the dog left them, he saw a serious blow to the kids' already-low spirits. Not just that, but Twilight was a source of protection—and, admittedly, he had toyed with the idea of making a harness and getting the dog to pull them. Without Twilight, though…well, even that feeble dream of salvation was gone.

* * *

><p>Roy did not feel any real danger, because one, or even several, wolves could be easily dealt with using alchemy. His biggest problem, however, could be if the dogs got involved with fighting, because he would not want to kill them by mistake. They were good animals, all things considered, and Hopper was probably the entire reason that he was still alive in the first place. He owed them…well, at least not killing them. Yeah. He owed them that much.<p>

Squinting, he could just barely make things out as the two sides met. Even straining his eyes as best he could, though the action sent spikes of pain through his skull, it was impossible to tell what was happening. Frowning to himself, the young colonel stepped forward, raising one hand to better shield his eyes as he did so. It did not _look _like they were fighting, but it was hard to tell, with all of the bounding and leaping that was going on.

He covered maybe a quarter of a kilometre before he was close enough to really see what was going on, and that sent both a stab of irritation and a jolt of relief through him. They were playing, the newcomer lowering its chest to the snow, tail sticking up and wagging energetically. This animal was no wolf; it was another one of the sled dogs.

On the one hand, he would not have to kill it, but on the other…was this to be his life? Playing catch-me-if-you-can with a bunch of dogs until he froze to death or died of malnutrition? He was not sure he liked either of those options.

As he kept walking, Roy could not help chuckling a bit to himself as we watched the animals' antics. The newcomer, a white-and-black dog, would charge through the snow, only to stop dead in a spray of white that showered down over the other two dogs. It would then spin and dash the other way, despite that fact that his two dogs had long since stopped playing. It was an idyllic scene, save the fact that they were all struggling to survive out here.

With a sudden yip, the black dog spun and loped off away from them, Hopper and the other dog quickly following. With a curse, Roy took off after them. As much as he was not sure he wanted to keep playing this game, it still offered the best chance of survival.

* * *

><p>Ed was relieved when he saw Twilight lope back into view, the black in the husky's coat standing out starkly against the white of the snow, even in the fading light. A moment later, he noticed further motion streaking over the snow, the shapes quickly transforming into two more canines. So, more of the team had survived. That was a relief.<p>

Wait. Squinting, he realised that there was a third figure; a human figure. All but leaping out of the shelter, he shielded his eyes from the setting sun and strained to make out more than that. Just seconds after he emerged, the figure stopped, clearly staring himself, before taking off at a dead run. Several steps later, the man—for it was a man—stumbled to his face in the snow. Gaping, Ed took off at a trot, hurrying to meet the person, who was struggling back to his feet, halfway.

When he realised it was Roy Mustang, he was running before he knew it, heedless of the icy air burning his lungs. Pulling up before the colonel, the short blond gripped his hands tightly in two fists as he glared up at his commanding officer.

"Colonel Bastard! Where the hell have you be—!" he began, only to find himself cut off sharply as Mustang grabbed him by the shoulders, yanking him into an awkward hug.

Standing stiffly, Ed found himself at war with his emotions. He was genuinely overjoyed to see the man, despite his better sense, and yet he found himself inexplicably angry, too. If Roy had found them one day sooner—or not even gone missing in the first place!—then…then…

Kara would not have died.

So he stood there, body almost feeling numb with relief, yet hot with rage, his face buried in the front of Roy's coat, immobile. He wanted to… He wanted to…

Jerking back, he shoved the older man away from him, eyes burning with unshed tears. "You…you _bastard_…" he choked out, staring down at the ground.

"Hate me if you want, Fullmetal," A glance up confirmed that Mustang was looking down, away from him, "but I'm glad you're alright."

With that, Ed felt the rage leave him, sinking to his knees in the snow as he feebly sniffed and wiped at his eyes. He _was _happy to see the colonel, regardless of how hurt and annoyed he also was. This meant an end to his responsibility. Those children…he could trust the colonel to get them all out of this. He did not have to do it all himself anymore.

A moment later, he glanced up as a hand landed on his shoulder, a pair of worried, midnight blue eyes staring down at him as Roy went to one knee in the snow. "Fullmetal?" Mustang paused. "What happened?"

"N-nothing!" he snapped back, sniffling. "We're—we're _fine_! And we would've gotten ourselves out of this just fine without you!"

Sometimes, Edward really did have to wonder why he always to play the tough guy. Every fibre of his being wanted to lean on the colonel now, metaphorically and maybe a little physically, and yet instead he jolted to his feet, turning and stalking off back towards the shelter. Maybe it was because he had always had to be strong, both for Al and their mother, or maybe it was because he was quick to take the blame and assume responsibility…

Or maybe in this case…it was because he utterly rejected the idea of an older, male role-model.

"Fine, Ed. Have it your way," came the soft words of his superior, Roy rising to his feet and trailing after him.

The walk back to the shelter was a quiet, somber one. The bastard colonel did not press him for information on the time they spent apart, at least. That was worth something, because he did not really feel like going over Kara's passing with Roy. Not after how the jerk had treated him after Nina…

Never mind that Mustang had been right.

Ducking into the shelter ahead of Mustang, he offered as cheerful a grin as he could to the children huddled in the back. Perhaps his running off had scared them, but they quickly forgot their fear when Mustang ducked inside after him. Of course, the truly hard part was yet to come, as the kids began bombarding the colonel for information on their parents.

One look at Mustang, and Ed could easily see the other's discomfort. On another day, he might have felt smug to see the _high-and-mighty_ Mustang flounder. As things were, however, he just found himself feeling tired. It had been a hard day, and he was emotionally drained.

"Listen, you kids get some sleep." That was Mustang, trying futilely to fend off the bombardment of uncomfortable questions. "You've had a long day."

There was some grumbling, but gradually the kids did as they were told, snuggling up together around the still-distraught Cory. Soon, the only two awake were himself and Mustang, and it was obvious from the way those dark eyes bore into him that the colonel knew something.

"Fullmetal."

"Don't start with me," the blond responded, though his voice lacked the energy it should have had. He did not want to go over this again…

"I know what happened to," Roy paused, glancing to the sleeping children, "earlier today. Why didn't you tell me? I—"

"You _what_? Could've helped? No offence, Colonel, but you weren't exactly there when…when it…"

"No, I wasn't, but I _am_ here now."

"Well, guess what? It's too late now."

"Why are you so mad at me, Ed? I've been looking for you for days, and I finally found you and _this_ is the reception I get? What's going on in that head of yours?"

The blond's eyes turned to stare venom into the packed snow beneath them. After a long while, he shrugged. "I…couldn't save her."

"We can't save everyone, Ed. You know that."

"But…but she was just a _kid_. I should have protected her better. I could have, I…"

"Don't be selfish, Fullmetal."

Edward's head shot up, his amber eyes flashing. "What the hell's that supposed to mean?"

"It means, stop taking all the blame. If you want to blame somebody, blame the Drachmans. _They're_ the ones who caused all of this—hell, even blame _me_ if you want, because from where I sit, _you're_ a hero."

The words, delivered in that familiar, almost off-handed tone, drew the young alchemist up. A hero? How could anyone call him a hero? Kara was _dead_, and it was his fau—okay, no. He did have to agree that the Drachmans at least shared the blame, though he was not about to totally acquit himself. She had been alive when she had fallen into his care.

"Get some sleep, Fullmetal."

The change in topics brought a frown to the blond's lips, and he shook his head. "I…can't. I can't sleep."

"Come here."

After a moment's contemplation, Ed scooted across the short distance between them. Once he was in range of the other's arm, Edward then found himself tugged against the colonel's side. "Wha—?" he started weakly.

"Get some rest, Edward. You're not alone anymore. You don't have to do it all alone."

And was that not exactly what he had told himself just a little while before? That, at least, was true. He was not really mad at Roy, anyway, he was just…upset. Today had shown him his own vulnerability, and he did not like that, either. It made him…feel like he needed to defend himself. Was that…okay? He did not even know.

"Fine," he grumbled at last, shoving away and moving towards the kids. "Don't let us get eaten by anything weird." Not that the dogs were not good enough to watch them, or anything. Between Hopper, Dapple, and Twilight, they were well protected. "There's stew in the pot if you want any."

He did not see Roy move over to look, but he did _hear_ the man's grumbled, "If you call that soup," and, had he not been leaning over the sleeping kids, he would have shot back something sharp. As things were, he simply settled himself down. It was probably going to be a long night, anyway.

* * *

><p>Roy watched his charge settle down with a sad eye. He was not the best with children, and here he suddenly had a fistful of them, and very little idea how to proceed. To top it off, Edward had been forced to suffer through losing <em>another<em> little girl, and the whole mess was just…

But Ed was alive, as were most of the children, and that counted for something. He had always known the blond was impressive, and over and over again, Edward proved it. What really worried him was the question of how much more the boy could take before it all became too much.

The more he tried to offer support, awkward though he was at it, it seemed the harder Edward pushed him away. If only Hughes were with them, because he always knew what to do when the Elric brothers were involved. This was not Roy's forte.

But he did know how it felt to blame yourself for the death of another person, and that was something Fullmetal did plenty of. He did not know the full story of what had happened, he had known enough not to ask _that_ at least, but the kids had given him the general idea. Kara, little Cory's twin, had died earlier that day, and…and how was this going to go over in the morning? Right now, only pure exhaustion was letting the children sleep, he was sure of that. At some point, they were also going to have to be told the truth about their families… It was a mess he wanted no part of, if he were to be completely honest, but Fullmetal was alive, and so the two of them had to try.

No, _he_ had to try. Edward had done his part, but he was still a kid himself, in the end. He needed a shoulder to lean on, too.

Spooning some of the weak stew into what he assumed was a bowl, he used a quick flash of fire alchemy to heat it, and then settled back to sip the food as he watched the youngsters sleep. He could only hope that things went better the next day…and that Edward could find it in him to relax. The boy was far too tense, and so obviously afraid…

And so, so strong. It was almost hard to watch him force everything down and put on that mask of stubborn indifference. Except it was not even indifference. He was hurting, but Roy did not know how to help him.

Damn, he was bad at this…

* * *

><p><em>So, quick question for you, good readers, in relation to this chapter (or, really, the next one). I'm debating putting in a scene, at some point during the night, where Ed wakes up from a nightmare about Nina, Kara…doesn't really matter, and finally opens up to Roy a bit. I'm reluctant to get too mushy, especially with these two, but Ed's starting to fray a bit, and he needs some…help, for lack of a better word. However, I'm not sure it's needed, because this is Ed. And…Roy. They're both pretty bad at feelings.<em>

_So tell me, good readers, yay or nay? Should I trust my gut and leave it out, or go with my inner fangirl, who wants more Papa!Roy moments, and put it in?_


	10. Unbroken

_Can I just say that when I opened my reviews page the morning after I posted chapter nine, and saw that I had 11 new reviews, I actually teared up a bit? I don't really want to get into too many details, but y'all really boosted my spirits. Thank you. So much._

_Secondly, to everyone who worried over my "depression" a few months ago: Thank you for your concern; you're all sweet. Don't worry, it's not a common thing. There were a set of very unique circumstances, and it shouldn't be an issue again. _

_Thiiirdly. Thank you all for your input on the last chapter! I hope I managed to work something out that works for all of you. In light of the overwhelming feedback I got towards this part, I've actually decided to post this scene on its own. I hope it…meets expectations. (It's probably confusing in places, but neither of them is very good at this, so…I tried to go with that.) Bah. I hope this came out okay…_

* * *

><p>"You don't have to lie to all of us."<p>

The quiet words jolted Roy out of a light doze, and he found himself blinking rapidly in an effort to summon sight to his strained vision. After a moment, he could see just enough to make out the crouched form of one of the children seated next to him. From the voice, he was pretty sure it was the older boy, a fact which was confirmed when the kid spoke again.

"I know why you won't tell the others, but…I get it. They're gone, right?"

It took his sleep-fogged mind a moment to register what the boy was asking, but it did eventually hit him. With a sigh, Roy sat up further, rubbing his forehead tiredly. "Yeah." The question did not really need more than that. What else was he supposed to say, anyway? _Yes, all of your families were brutally slaughtered like dogs. _That would go over well.

"I…see…"

"Look, Aidan wasn't it? I—"

"It's okay, Colonel. I understand." The boy offered what Roy thought might be a weak smile. "I get it, and I won't tell anyone. Not…not yet. They have enough to think about."

"So do you," Roy replied firmly.

"My mom warned me it could happen."

"Listen, Kid…"

"I just…didn't think it would be so _soon_."

There was a stiffness in the boy's tone that Roy recognised as belonging to someone fighting tears. Great, what was he supposed to do _now_? The boy had ambushed while he was half asleep!

…kids were so not his thing.

Before he had to say anything else, the boy got up and raced over to the dogs. The black-and-white one's head came up, and then it was licking Aidan's face. He knew he should say _something_, do _anything_, but all he did…was sit in silence and watch. He did not know what else _to_ do.

Aidan fell back to sleep none-too-soon. The boy had eventually tired enough to drag himself over to the sleeping area and drop back down, asleep almost immediately. That left Roy alone with his own worries. He did not want to think of any of it, honestly, but it was hard not to. There was an awful lot _to_ think about.

The fact that all of these children had lost their families did not need to shove itself to the forefront of his mind.

Cory was the next one to wake up. She did not come to speak to him, however, and instead simply cried herself back to sleep. Roy knew he should say something, but nothing was coming to him. He was not good with kids. So, he left it.

At least until Fullmetal woke up. This was one kid he could not just ignore. Sure, he might pretend towards off-handed indifference with the boy a lot, but that was not really true, was it? He adored the boy, in his own way, and would do pretty much anything to protect him—including frying anyone who tried to make him admit that to a crisp.

Ed woke with a jolt, and if Roy had not been watching, he might have missed the silent return to the land of wakefulness entirely. As things were, he could hardly miss seeing the boy sit up, even in the dim lighting. Edward sat quietly for a long moment, before apparently deciding to go back to sleep.

"Fullmetal," he said quietly, against his better judgement. He might as well just deal with this now.

"Colonel? Why're you awake?"

"…you guys aren't the most restful bunch."

"I hope you don't think I'm gonna apologise for that." Despite the words, there was nothing but tired resignation in the blond's tone. That, more than anything, worried Roy.

"No, Ed, I don't. I'm more wondering why you can't sleep."

"…shut up. You're going to wake the others up."

"Come here, Ed," Roy stated firmly, motioning the boy over. Much to his surprise, Edward came after only a moment's hesitation. Once Ed was settled in next to him, the older man reached over and placed a hand on the boy's shoulder. "Now, want to stop evading my question?"

This time, he felt it when Ed shrugged. "Just…a dream."

"I know that much, Fullmetal."

The smaller body ripped away from him, the tension in the air all but palpable as the boy practically _bristled_. "Then why are you asking me?" At least he had the sense to keep his voice down.

"Because someone needs to," the colonel replied flatly. "Because you're out here without your lifeline, and I figured you could use a metaphorical shoulder."

"Don't flatter yourself." There was no bite to the words, however, and so Roy felt confident pressing on.

"You don't have to act like the adult anymore, Ed. Let me take care of that for you."

"Take care of it? Don't mess with me, Colonel! Kara's dead, end of story. Where were _you_ when I could've really used you? You and your fire alchemy! You could've saved her!"

"Blaming me isn't going to bring her back, Edward." Though Roy would not admit it, the words twisted at his heart. Funny that; he thought he had learned not to blame himself for things that were not his fault.

Yes, and he was Führer.

"Maybe not, but I'm gonna do it anyway."

"…blaming yourself won't help, either."

"What do you know? What the _hell_ do you know?"

"More than you think, Fullmetal," Roy replied with a great deal more patience than he felt. "I _have_ been there."

There was a long moment of silence, and then, "how?"

Despite the lack of real venom that had laced the boy's tone before now, there was no denying that that single word lacked in energy more than any before it. Then again, perhaps that was not surprising, all things considered. The implications in those three letters were rather strong.

"It's not easy," he admitted, glancing away from the blond with a sigh, "but you learn to get by."

"…the hell's that supposed to mean, Colonel?" Edward just sounded miserable. "That's what I'm _doing_."

"No you're not, Ed. You're setting yourself straight down a self-destructive path that _won't end well_. I _know_, Ed. I've been there."

"Then what the hell else am I supposed to do? I haven't exact—" Ed paused, glancing over to the children. Frowning, the boy clapped his hands together once, and within moments had placed a wall between them and the children. "I haven't exactly saved anyone yet, now have I?"

Apparently, the 'no-yelling' agreement could only last so long.

"You saved Al. You saved all those people in Youswell."

"And my mom? Nina? _Kara_? Never mind that…that Al was my fault in the first place!" Ed glanced away, staring hard at the floor. "I might not have killed them, but I might as well have."

Latching onto Ed's shoulders, Roy wrenched the boy around to face him. He knew what it felt like to blame yourself for the deaths of others, even when it was not your fault…not really. He knew, and he did not want to let Ed go down that path.

"Don't you ever think that, Ed. It's _not your fault_. You're a _kid_. Kids make mistakes—ah hell, we _all_ make mistakes. Yes, you screwed up with your mom, but you know what, Ed? You're doing everything in the world that you can to fix it. That's worth something. And Nina? Kara? Those _weren't you fault_. Nobody can do everything."

Damn, he was bad at this, wasn't he?

"So not being able to do something means it's okay not to try? Is _that_ what you're saying?"

Where had Ed even gotten _that_ idea?

"No, Ed. I'm saying that if you give it everything you have and that isn't enough, you're not to blame. Shou Tucker killed Nina, not you. The Drachmans killed Kara, _not you_."

"And Al. Should I just give up on Al?!"

…suddenly, he felt like they were having two different conversations. Grabbing the boy's face in his hands, he pulled Edward's face up so they were seeing eye-to-eye. "No, Edward. You never give up until there's _nothing_ you can do. That's something worth admiring in you."

That, at least, got through, because one blond brow raised and Ed smiled sardonically. "Good of you to find something worthwhile in me."

"Edward…"

"I get it, Colonel. Maybe you're even right. Al needs me, though. I have to do this. I have to take care of him."

"I know," Roy replied firmly, thinking fondly of his own family. "But will you let me help _you_?" Staring into those amber eyes for a moment longer, Roy then released the boy entirely, letting Edward settle back against the wall.

The silence pressed in for a long while, and then, "I think…I'd like that, Colonel." Roy did not have to see Edward to know the boy's eyes were on the floor.

This conversation had gone a strange way, but Roy was not complaining. He was just glad that it had apparently gone _well_. At least, as well as could be expected, given their respective personalities. Ed was one child he could deal with, at least.

The silence was amicable, and when Fullmetal removed the wall shielding the kids from their voices, Roy did not complain. He also did not complain when the blond next to him began to doze.

And when said blond slipped to the side, his cheek colliding gently with Roy's shoulder as sleep claimed him? Well, he did not want to wake him. That would be annoying.

…yeah, he would go with that.


	11. Journey's End

_Well, here we are, last chapter! All that's left is a brief epilogue and then…and then it's over. Wow, I can't fully grasp that it's almost done. Wow. I just want to say thank you to all my readers and reviewers! You've been amazing, and so patient with me; you rock. Thank you._

_Secondly, I'm sorry for the both the delay and shortness of this chapter. I spent a lot of time mulling over adding anything to it, but in the end I felt like that would just be dragging on the story needlessly. This piece has said its message, and it's time for me to move on. Stumbling into a Drachman encampment would be…dragging it out too much._

_Well, anyway, that's all for now. I hope you enjoy this chapter, and hopefully I'll see you all for the epilogue fairly soon!_

* * *

><p>Mustang was his usual, annoying self the next morning, pushing Ed around and in general making a nuisance of himself. At least, in the blond's eyes he did. There was no denying that the older man's orders were all for necessary things, but that was what made it <em>more<em> annoying, because he did not need anyone telling him to make sure all the kids were bundled up.

And if anyone tried to accuse him of being cranky because he awoke to find himself sleeping on the colonel's shoulder? He would deny that vehemently.

Mostly because he would deny having fallen asleep the night before.

And having slept on Roy's shoulder.

Honestly, their talk the night before felt like something out of a dream. Or maybe a nightmare. Whatever the case, it was…annoying to think he had shown so much of himself to his superior officer. In fact, it was difficult to even think about the inherent weakness in himself at all, because no way was he allowed to be weak. He had to do better than that, for all the kids.

And most of all for Al.

At the same time, there was a small part of himself—a _very_ small part—that…was happy to know he had someone to help him through this, now. No, not even that small of a part. He had failed Kara; he _knew_ he needed help. He just…did not want anyone else knowing that. It was hard enough to admit it to himself, never mind _Mustang_ knowing.

…but it was still…nice?

Damn it all!

"You can sit there looking like you swallowed a bee all day, Fullmetal, or you could help the rest of us do some actual work."

For a split second, he glared at the colonel, but then the expression faded and he sighed softly. There was no malice in Roy's very gentle, teasing words, and there was no real malice in Edward's glare, either. They were both trying to up the spirits of the sombre group, but the fact of the matter was, there was still an air of pain to them all.

"Earth to Fullmetal, you can report back any day now."

Starting when he realised that Mustang was still addressing him, the blond blinked, then frowned. "What?"

"Oh, he came in!" The fake, jovial smile slid from the colonel's features. "Look, I was speaking to Lilly, and I think we can use the dogs."

Ed blinked, not understanding the suggestion immediately, but it clicked after a moment. "We don't have a proper sled. Or harnesses."

"And that's where you come in. Think you can transmute them if we get the materials?"

Well, he had transmuted the first sled, had he not? He could probably just do some touch-ups, too, to make it big enough for all the kids…

"Yeah, I can do it," he agreed, for once not having the energy to argue with Mustang for all but volunteering his skills. It _was_ a good idea, anyway. They could move faster with the kids off their feet, and there was…no fear of one of them sliding into a hidden lake, or anything.

With some reluctance, they split up, Roy with Mathieu and Aidan, and Ed with Lilly and Cory, to find materials. There was not a lot to be found at surface value, but with the kids' knowledge of the area, and dogs to help keep them from losing the camp, they quickly amassed a pile of natural resources that Edward deemed satisfactory.

The sled and harnesses that he produced were nothing fancy to look at, and there was something about the harnesses that the dogs did _not_ like, but it was what they had, and so it was what they worked with. The dogs were fastened to the sled in a linear hitch, and the kids all bundled up onto the sled bed. He even managed to make some snowshoes, with some guidance from Aidan, for himself and Mustang.

All-in-all, a pretty successful endeavour.

It was passed midday before they set out—or at least, past midday was Ed's best guess, because who the heck could tell time properly up here?—the kids all bundled into the sled as best they could manage, and himself and Roy leading the dogs. It was hard going at first. Lilly was the closest one of them to knowing how to drive a team of dogs, but even she did not know much more than what she had learned watching her father. Still, they managed to keep the dogs from running off ahead, and eventually they seemed to figure the situation out, and kept to an easy trot alongside those walking.

Ed would never admit it, but he found trekking through the snow difficult with snowshoes. The imbalance of the weight of his legs kept him sinking in further with each step of his left foot, and that often left him dragging the snowshoe through the snow in slow and difficult fashion. He managed to keep up, of course, but it was tough going.

With Roy there to focus them, the travel was also, at long last…focussed; they had a goal. The colonel was no master of navigation, by any means, but he did have something of an idea how best to go about finding the next settlement. He had studied up before they had left, apparently, and between his knowledge and the kids', they were soon well on their way.

That did not mean it was a short trip. What they had traversed in mere hours just days before became days now. They had, understandably so, veered well off course, and had to make up that distance. Furthermore, they were unable to all enjoy the convenience of a fully aerodynamic sled with a full team of dogs. Still, they trucked on.

Days travelling were sombre affairs, with only the most half-hearted efforts to cheer everyone up made by Lilly and, surprisingly, Roy. Most of their efforts were greeted only with half-hearted chuckles, or, more often than not, nothing at all. Ed blamed that latter on Roy's utter lack of a sense of humour.

Nights were, surprisingly, somewhat livelier. Once they were all enclosed safely in the shelter Edward constructed for them, fed on whatever they could find, and bundled around a fire, the kids all seemed more willing to forget the stark reality of their situation and just…be kids. They talked, played with the dogs, and actually laughed.

It was heartwarming, to say the least, and Ed could never help but involve himself in the games. It was better than being a stick-in-the-mud like Roy, who always just seemed to want to work. Making food, setting up camp, lighting a fire, making sure all the kids were warm… Honestly, the colonel seemed more tired than any of them, some nights, too.

At least Roy's vision returned fully, after a couple days of his walking in almost complete darkness. With Ed walking alongside him, the colonel had made the decision to wrap a scarf completely around his head, covering his eyes completely. It had made the going hard—on more than one occasion Ed had intentionally made the man stumble into drifts in the snow—but had paid off in the end.

One morning, the day dawned unusually warm, the sun almost painfully bright in the sky. With Roy still unconscious, Ed led the kids outside to play. By the time Roy emerged, an annoyed look on his face at having been left alone, the five on them were halfway through an angry-faced snowman that definitely _did_ resemble the colonel.

…unfortunately, none of them were tall enough to get the head on.

Cory's mood went up and down almost alarmingly fast, and if it was not for the fact that he could remember his own long days of grieving for his mother, he might have been worried. However, he was pretty sure he could safely conclude that she was simply bouncing back gradually, as kids were wont to do.

…still, it could not be easy to lose a siblings—Ed did not even want to _imagine_ losing Al!—and late at night, he often awoke to her silent sobs. They all did the best they could to support her, and each other, and they made it through. Together.

The evening they spotted tendrils of smoke on the horizon was one of the best of Edward's life. As much as he dreaded the kids learning that all of their parents were probably gone, it was…good, to know they had made it. Nobody else had died. Nobody…else…

With the settlement in sight, they had made the decision to press on instead of stopping for the night, and it was with three tired dogs, tired feet, and four sleeping children that they were finally spotted by the sentry.

They had made it.

* * *

><p>With the kids rushed off to the medic's tent, Ed and Roy found themselves stuck loitering around outside, knowing they should go inside, but neither quite wanting to, yet. It was Roy who cracked first, blowing a soft sigh.<p>

"We made it."

"No duh," Fullmetal bit back, though he lacked venom. In truth, most of their exchanges had, of late. They had been too tired and afraid and _focussed_ to worry about talking down to one another with any real energy. Now, though, they were safe…

And it was still gone, because they were still tired, the bone-weary exhaustion of over a week out in the snow, with not enough to eat and the fear of freezing to death a constant worry catching up to them. Maybe they were still a little afraid, too, because the kids still did not know what they did, and what was going to happen to them?

They were alive, however, and if they were all a little malnourished from eating only meat for days on end, they would _live_. They would _all_ live, because they had made it here, alive. The kids would hopefully be well looked after and compensated by the military, their distant relatives found and contacted. That was, of course, not a sure thing, but he could hope.

Hope was all they had had for days now, so he did not want to lose it now.

"Fullmetal…"

"I know, I know. I need to stop mourning the ones I lost, and be happy about the ones I saved, right? That's what you're going to tell me? That I should be happy that I lived and that," he gestured to the tent, "they did. Right? Like the lives we _lost_ don't matter?"

"No, Fullmetal," he replied quietly, fully understanding the mindset the kid was speaking of, but for once not interested in encouraging it, "I was just going to say…you did well."

Amber eyes widened, and then golden brows furrowed. "What's that supposed to mean? Are you mocking me? Because I swear, Mustang, if you are…"

"You saved the lives of four more people than I did, Ed." Reaching out, Roy rested one gloved hand on the boy's hat-covered head. "I think that's worth some praise."

Much to Roy's surprise, Edward whirled then, turning his back rather pointedly to the colonel. After a moment's pause, the boy darted away, ducking into the medical tent without another word. Smiling to himself, Roy followed, pointedly ignoring the muffled sniff coming from Ed's direction as he approached the medic to check on the status of the kids.

Things might just be okay.

And okay they were, though perhaps more could not be said than that. The kids were understandably upset when told the news of the camp and their parents, delivered only after a team had gone out to investigate the ruined camp, and returned with the very news Roy had suspected.

Now there was the matter of getting the kids into proper care until their distant relatives could be brought in, which meant that himself and Ed had to bring them back to Central. They also had to leave the dogs behind, to be passed onto another team, a fact which did not sit well with any of the kids, least of all Lilly. They were not suitable pets, however, and would never adapt to city living very well, so it had to be done.

None of them liked it, but discontent or no, it had to be done. Before long, the dogs were reassigned and the kids, Roy, and Edward were hustled onto a train bound for Central.


End file.
